What I Did For Love!
by XJerseyGirl
Summary: Eddie Abruzzi was murdered ... guess who the prime suspect is! Ranger makes another deal, but with whom this time and what's the payoff? Babe story with a guaranteed HEA!
1. Love Is A Four Letter Word!

What I Did For Love

What I Did For Love

_**Disclaimer: All characters except Ronnie belong to Janet Evanovich. I'm only playing with them and will return them unharmed when I'm done.**_

_**Warnings: All twelve books, Language, Sexual Situations, etc.**_

_**A/N: This story wouldn't be here if it weren't for my fantastic Beta, Editor, and Friend ... Kashy! How she puts up with me, I'll never know!**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_**Love … We've been told that it makes the world go round, that it lifts us up where we belong, that only love can break a heart, that love is blind, and that love hurts. Love has probably caused more pain than all the other emotions mankind experiences put together. And yet, since Adam and Eve, we all hope for it, pray for it, crave it, chase it, need it … we'll lie, cheat, steal and even die for love. But although we may deny it, we're willing to ransom our hearts and sell our souls for it … This is the story of what I did for love.**_

**Prologue:**

**The words 'I love you' have never exactly come tripping off my tongue. I mean, I can say them, like to Rex, my hamster, but let's face it, as long as I'm feeding him, he really doesn't care about the words. I guess that makes him a perfect Plum. I come from a family where love is expressed in the form of warm chocolate chip cookies waiting on the kitchen table after school and pot roast at six sharp every Friday night … or fried fish if it's Lent. **

**The hugs and kisses and words of praise are few and far between in my house. But we can always bask in the warm glow of meatloaf and mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, pineapple upside down cake, spaghetti and meatballs, and a dining room table groaning under the weight of all the platters and bowls and plates filled with love. For my family, food always speaks louder than words.**

**Right now though, I'm suffering from such an outpouring of love that I'm having trouble zipping my jeans. I actually had to do a couple of deep knee bends, with my ass stuck out, just to stretch the denim enough to get that damned top button buttoned. I guess I've spent the last couple of weeks telling myself how much I love ME with too many Butterscotch Krimpets and Boston Crèmes. **

**Oh, don't roll your eyes at me! Probably you've done the same thing, and at least I have a good excuse for stuffing my face. To tell the truth, it wasn't exactly love that made me dive head first into an overload of fat and carbs and sugar. It was more like the fear and terror and blind panic that comes with love and commitment that made me overdose on comfort food. **

**See, I've got this problem. I've loved two men for a long time now. Yeah, yeah, I know … no big surprise. But just listen … I think I've figured out which one I really want and probably I should let him know … maybe … well, maybe not, but possibly yes, I think … maybe. I mean it isn't like everybody doesn't know that I have commitment issues, right? I admit that! The guy I've been with the longest without a major battle is Rex and that's only because he doesn't talk back! **

**But, Hell! I just don't know what to do! I've made lists of pros and cons, I've lain awake at night, I've thought about it until my head ached. I need some help here! So okay, I'm gonna tell you what happened, the whole story, and then you tell me what **_**you**_** think ... Okay? Okay! It all started with a skip…**

**Chapter One: Love is a Four Letter Word!**

**You know how much I hate to run. Even when Ranger used to haul me out of bed and there was the lure of that perfect ass running in front of me, like a carrot in front of a donkey, I still **_**hated**_** running. Now every brain cell that I owned was screaming at me that I should be back home, tucked into my bed, all warm and cozy, not out here running around like an idiot in the sleet and freezing cold. So what the hell was I doing galumphing down a snow and slush filled street on the coldest day of the whole damned year? I was trying to make my rent, that's what! **

**Ask Connie and she'll tell you that winter is a lousy time for skip tracing. Almost everybody makes their court date because they don't want to have to leave their nice warm beds and go sneaking around outside in the cold, trying to hide from the bail bondsman. That made business great for Vinnie, but worse than crappy for me. In fact, it was so bad that my bank account was on death's doorstep and if I didn't do something to breathe some life into it pretty fast, I'd have to start hocking my appliances … again. I was getting desperate, so when Ronnie Klineman missed his court date, I grabbed his file and ran with it. Okay, so maybe I just walked fast.**

**Much as I hated hauling in drunks, Ronnie Klineman had looked like the perfect candidate for an easy capture … at least on paper. Everybody knew Ronnie; he was a local character who thought it was his mission in life to single-handedly support the alcoholic beverage industry in Trenton. He'd been picked up for public intoxication so many times that the cops joked that they were gonna post a memorial plaque on the door of the drunk tank in Ronnie's honor. **

**Usually, the cops would just take him down to the station; he'd sleep it off, pay his fine and head back to the bar. This time though, he got nailed with a whole bunch of other charges that could send him to jail, or worse yet for Ronnie, court ordered rehab. **

**His fatal error came when he mistook Officer Picky for a men's room fixture. Ronnie unzipped out on a public sidewalk, whipped out his johnson and whizzed right on Officer Picky's perfectly polished shoes. Rumor has it that Picky screamed like a little girl, and when he marched Ronnie into the station, Picky was barefoot and pissed off... no pun intended.**

**When he sobered up, Ronnie got Vinnie to bond him out but I have no doubt that that was the last sober breath he drew and he's been stewed to the gills ever since. Ronnie missed his court date and yesterday, Connie gave me his file. **

**I decided to grab him early and Ronnie was still drunk as a skunk that morning when I found him wandering around outside his apartment building. He was totally convinced that he was still out drinking with his buddies. I went into my spiel, identifying myself as a bond enforcement agent, telling him that he had missed his court date and I had to take him in to be re-bonded. He gave me a loopy grin, called me 'Sweet Cheeks,' patted my ass and ordered another beer. This was gonna be a piece of cake!**

"**Yes, sir! I'll bring it right along if you'll just take a seat over here at the bar." I pulled my cuffs out of my back pocket as I took him by the arm and steered him toward my car. **

**I really didn't think I was gonna have any trouble with him; after all, he seemed like such a happy drunk. But when I snapped the cuff on his wrist, he must have had a momentary flash of sobriety because he knocked me on my ass and took off down the street like an Olympic track star, my cuffs dangling from his wrist.**

**Did I tell you that I hate to run? And I hate running even more when I'm bundled up in a big poofy parka and knock off Uggs, looking like a cross between the Michelin Man and the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Ronnie moved pretty fast for a drunk and sprinted down the street while I sort of lumbered after him. He turned onto the alley at the back of his apartment building and I saw him skid through the rear entrance just as I rounded the corner. **

**I wheezed through the back door and heard him pounding up the metal stairs. "Ronnie!" I bellowed up the stairwell. "Do yourself a favor and come back down here! I'm gonna be really pissed off if I have to come up there after you!"**

**Ronnie leaned over the railing and glared down at me from the third floor. "Nanner-nanner-nanner!" he sing-songed, real snotty. "You can't catch me, fat ass!" What happened to Sweet Cheeks? Think maybe it was my crack about being 'pissed off' that got him mad?**

"**You're gonna be sorry you didn't cooperate, Ronnie! I'm a desperate woman! I gotta make my rent and I've got a fire in my belly!" I hollered as I stomped up the stairs. I got to the second floor landing and looked up to see Ronnie aiming the fire hose at me, ready to put that fire out.**

**I had just enough time to yell, "Oh shit!" before the torrent of water hit me square in the chest like a tidal wave, knocking me ass over tea kettle across the landing. Ronnie focused the stream into my face and I gasped and sputtered and held up my hands to ward it off. My hat and boots got knocked right off me and floated down the stairs, and I swear to God my coat sucked up about 400 gallons of water as I tried to swim my way across the landing and out of the line of fire.**

**Ronnie started cackling as he came down the stairs, still pounding me with the water. He was having way too much fun. All I could do was grab the railing and hold on for dear life while he tried to hose me down the stairs. When I finally managed to get my feet under me, the son of a bitch blasted me again and I slid across the landing, on my ass this time, and hit the far wall. My coat was so heavy from all that water that I couldn't even roll over and I belly flopped onto the landing like a huge beached whale. If I ever got my hands on him, Ronnie was a dead man! I had visions of drowning him in a goldfish bowl.**

**My salvation came in the form of the super who must have heard the ruckus. He stuck his head over the rail from above us and roared, "Ronnie, you stupid shithead! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The guy galloped down the stairs and snatched the hose away from Ronnie who was trying to hose him down, too. The super won and turned the hose off at the nozzle while I lay on the landing like Shamu, spewing water and gulping air.**

**Ronnie tried to make a run for it, but no way was I letting this fool get away from me again. I pushed my feet off the wall like a swimmer making a turn in a pool and slid across the flooded landing, tackling him around his legs. The two of us rolled down the stairs together, landing with a splash on the first floor. **

**Ronnie struggled to get away, but the man didn't have a snowball's chance in hell since I was lying on top of him. My water logged jacket must have weighed five hundred pounds all by itself and he just sort of flopped around under me, screaming that Moby Dick was trying to get him. I wanted to zap him, but my stun gun was as water logged as I was, so I just grabbed his cuffed wrist and snapped the other cuff around the railing. **

**I had to unzip my parka and wiggle out of it before I could stand up. Between the super and me, we managed to get my coat pretty well wrung out and found my saturated boots. I literally had to dump them out, and still, with every step I took, water squinched out of them. I never did find my hat, not that it really mattered because I was soaked to the skin anyway. **

**Ronnie sat on the stairs and looked down at his sopping clothes, then up at me, "Is it raining?" he asked. I wanted to clobber him!**

**By the time I got Ronnie into the car, we were both coated with wind blown sleet and I was shaking so hard I had a tough time getting the key into the ignition. To make matters worse, the heater in my car had died a couple of months ago. I could feel myself turning blue. Ronnie, on the other hand, still had a snoot full and didn't seem to mind the cold at all, dammit! **

**As my luck would have it, we hit the station right at shift change and were able to render cops who had seen it all, absolutely speechless. That is, before they all burst into hysterical laughter. It never ceases to amaze me how many people find me amusing. I could be a side-show freak at a carnival!**

**I dragged Ronnie through the door and down the hall to the booking desk, followed by a band of boys in blue who were cheerfully arguing over which one of the betting pools would pay off for this particular mishap. Bastards! That did it! I had had it! I may have been frozen but I could feel my face turn red and the steam come out of my ears. **

**I spun around and glared at the group of my so called friends. "Hey! I got a little newsflash for you dip-shits! I'm sick and tired of you betting on me! Cut it out or I'll go to the Chief and have him shut it down." I stood with my hands on my hips, staring them down.**

**Carl looked at me, genuinely surprised. "Jeez, Steph! Don't bust a blood vessel." He shrugged his shoulders, "It's all in fun, nothing personal."**

**I know my eyes bulged and my head must have spun around at that one because everybody took a step back. In fear, I think. "What do you mean 'nothing personal'?" I raged. "How much more personal could it get? You're all betting on MY LIFE here!" **

**At least they all had the good sense to look sheepish and they shuffled their feet around, staring at the floor in embarrassment.**

"**How about I start some pools on you guys? Let's see how you like it. I have some great ideas … Eddie, how about one on when Shirley kicks you out again? Or Picky, how about a pool for what body fluid you'll get doused with next time? Or Big Dog, on when another date sneaks out the back door and leaves you sitting there by yourself?" A couple of faces turned very red. "What? It's not personal, it's just fun!" I tried for a wide-eyed, innocent look and fluttered my iced eyelashes at them, then turned and marched Ronnie down the hall.**

"**Hey, Steph!" Carl called a minute later, and jogged up next to me, taking my arm to make me stop, "How about we give you a cut of the winnings? Say, fifteen percent?" He bent down to look in my face.**

**I pretended to think about it. "Make it twenty-five," I shot back. **

**The group murmured their consent and Carl stuck out his big paw, "Done!" he said, and we shook on it. **

**I have to admit that I had a tough time keeping the smirk off my face as I escorted Ronnie to a grinning Robin Russell at the booking desk. She gave me a sly wink and whispered, "Good for you!" as she started the paperwork. I winked back, actually glad that my own inevitable disasters would finally be paying off. **

**I dumped Ronnie, got my body receipt and beat it out of there as fast as I could. I had to hurry to pick up my check from Connie and get it into my account before my rent check hit the bank. If I couldn't even make my rent, I sure as hell couldn't afford the overdraft charges. I raced out of the station, waving as I sped past the guys who were still joking and laughing, only with me this time, not at me. With friends like these … **

**By the time I got to the bonds office I was pretty sure hypothermia was setting in. I was so sleepy I could barely keep my eyes open and all I wanted to do was put my head down on the steering wheel and doze off. My body was heavy, probably from all the ice, and it took a huge effort to even move. My fingers were numb and I couldn't feel my feet at all. I guess I was starting to freeze solid. My clothes were stiff and made a crackling noise and my coat was still covered with sleet and snow. Frosty the Snowman was back in town.**

**I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror and just groaned. I was a mess. Did I know that I would need waterproof mascara today? Hell, NO! I had frost in my eyebrows and icicles in my hair. Add my pale face, raccoon eyes and blue lips … I looked like an extra from **_**The Night of the Living Dead**_**! If my tear ducts hadn't been frozen solid, I would have cried. Damn! I was officially in danger of throwing myself a full blown pity party!**

**Heads turned as I hauled my ass out of the car and I just stared at the sidewalk as I crunched down the street to the bonds office. I could already hear my mother's phone ringing off the wall. I wouldn't be able to avoid her this week, not if I wanted to eat, and I already knew her lecture by heart. God knows I've heard it enough. I'd have to listen to her rant that I should have a nice safe job working in the button factory or personal products plant. Then I'd have to hear that Theresa Mangoli's daughter didn't go around town looking like the Abominable Snowman. We'd segue into the 'what will the neighbors think' line and wrap it all up with her slipping into the pantry for a little nip. And it was all my fault, but truthfully, I was too tired to even care. Oh yeah, it was pity party time alright.**

**I felt that funny little prickle on the back of my neck that I always got when Ranger was around, but there were no shiny black vehicles parked out on the street, thank God for small favors! I couldn't have handled Ranger right now. **

**Ranger is one of those people who seem to walk through life untouched by anything. No matter what he was doing, he was always neat and clean, always dry, like rain and sleet didn't dare land on him. I swear he didn't sweat unless he wanted to and his clothes never seemed to wrinkle. Hell, even his vehicles were always spotless and shiny… like the road muck was scared to hit them. **

**Unfortunately, most of the time when I ran into him, I looked like an old sock that Bob the dog had horked up, something that had been chewed up and spit out, covered with doggie slobber. Right now I was tapped out and having Ranger see me like this would have been the last straw. **

**I schlumped through the door, dropped the icy body receipt on Connie's desk and just stood there. Connie looked up for her computer and did a classic double take when she saw me. "What the hell happened to you?" she asked, wide eyed, as she got up out of her chair and came around her desk, staring at me, open mouthed. "You look like a human ice sculpture!" **

**My teeth were chattering and all I could do was shrug and mutter, "Fire hose," through my frozen lips. "I need my check quick, Con. I gotta get it to the bank before my rent check hits." **

"**Are you nuts?" Connie grabbed me and started to unzip my jacket. "You're not going anywhere! We have to get you out of those clothes and warmed up first! You'll catch your death!" She helped me peel off my coat and boots and socks, then looked around, trying to figure out what to do with them. Finally she carted it all into the bathroom and hung the coat on the mirror, the boots went upside down in the sink and my soggy socks went over the towel rack. **

"**Jeeez, Steph! You're so cold you're blue! You get a cup of coffee then come over and stand by the heating vent, I'm turning up the temperature in here!" and she pushed me toward the coffee pot.**

**Suddenly, Vinnie's voice boomed over the intercom. "Touch that thermostat, Rosolli, and I'll fire your dumb ass!"**

**Connie stomped over to her desk and pushed the intercom button. "You can **_**kiss**_** my lily white ass in Macy's window, you cheap son of a bitch! Steph's freezing to death and I'm gonna take care of her!" she yelled back at him and then spun the dial on the thermostat and we heard the heater kick on.**

**In seconds, Vinnie's office door slammed open and the man himself stormed out and started over to Connie, then stopped and gave me the once over. "You look like shit!" he barked, then turned back to Connie. **

"**Yeah, I love you too, Vinnie," I muttered.**

**Connie and Vinnie faced off, nose to nose, hands on hips, fingers jabbing, yelling at the tops of their lungs. Show time at the bonds office.**

**I sighed and tried to pour myself a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, I was still shaking so hard that all I managed to do was slosh the coffee all over the counter. As I reached for some paper towels, I felt that old familiar zing slip down my spine. Oh God, Ranger! I never even heard him come in. His front pressed against my back as his arm came around me and he took the pot out of my hands, deftly filling the cup.**

**Oh great! This was just what I needed to make my humiliation complete. I wrapped my arms around myself and dropped my chin to my chest, wishing I could just disappear. **

"**Thanks," I murmured, hoping he'd just go away, but instead he reached his other arm around and added milk and sugar to the cup for me, then lifted it so I could take a sip. Putting my icy hands over his, we stood like that, without saying anything, until I finished the whole cup. I closed my eyes in pleasure and let the heat spread through my body. Whether it was from the coffee or from Ranger, I'll never really know.**

**He laid his hand on the back of my neck, his warm fingers massaging my skin, making me shiver. "Babe, you're ice cold." He was standing so close that he had me trapped against the counter. His breath was warm against my cheek. It was all I could do to keep from melting into him.**

**I cleared my throat and swallowed hard. "Occupational hazard?" I squeaked, trying for humor. I glanced at him over my shoulder and watched his eyes follow a little trickle of melting ice that slid from my hair, down the side of my neck and into the V of my sweater.**

**He growled a little, deep in his throat. "I don't have a lot of domestic instincts," Ranger said to me, his attention fixed on another drop of water that slid down between my breasts, "but I have a real strong urge to take you home and thaw you out." Suddenly I started to heat up in a couple of very interesting places.**

"**I think we should get you out of those wet clothes and warm you up," he whispered, his lips touching my ear. I shivered again; only the cold had absolutely nothing to do with it this time. I heard a whimper and I'm pretty sure it came from me. My head fell back onto his shoulder, his mouth brushing lightly across mine. **

"**Go strip out of those clothes. I've got something out in the truck that you can wear." He stepped back from me and gave me a little push toward the bathroom, then headed for the back door. No wonder I didn't know he was here, he had parked out back.**

**I realized that Connie and Vinnie had stopped arguing and were staring at us, open mouthed. **

"**Oh my God!" Connie breathed, "That man is so hot!" She fanned herself with a file from her desk. "I guess I better get your check ready, huh?" She sat down in her chair with a thump, still fanning herself. **

**Vinnie looked at me in surprise. "You two got something going? I wouldana thought you were his type. He's so …" he waved his hand after Ranger, "and you're just kinda …" he looked me up and down and curled his lip.**

**I gave Vinnie my best Burg death glare and a fine old Italian hand gesture. He narrowed his eyes at me and pointed a finger in my face, "He's my biggest money maker and **_**you**_** need to keep him happy! Anything he wants, you give it to him, you hear! Or else your ass is fired too!" He went to stomp back into his office but Ranger had come back in and Vinnie had to step aside for him. He turned back to me and pointed that finger again, "I mean it, Stephanie!" **

**I had never done anything that Vinnie told me to do, and I had no intention of starting now, but I had to admit, the idea was tempting … VERY tempting. I knew exactly what Ranger wanted and what would make him happy … it would make me happy too, at least until he got up and walked out tomorrow morning. Still …**

**Ranger looked at Vinnie and then at me, raising an eyebrow. No way was I gonna explain **_**that **_**conversation to him, so I just waved my hand in a 'forget it' gesture and shook my head. Ranger stared at me for a beat, and then handed me the stack of clothes he had in his hands, sweat pants, hoodie, and socks, clearly his. **

"**I always keep a change of clothes in the truck. At least they're dry." His mouth curved up into his almost smile, "Do you need help getting out of those wet clothes? I'd be happy to give you a hand."**

**I suspected that a hand was only part of what he wanted to give me. I just shook my head and muttered, "Um … thanks anyway, but no." I escaped into the bathroom as fast as I could.**

**My undies were soaked, so I had to strip naked and I have to tell you that I got a little thrill wearing Ranger's clothes next to my bare skin. The hoodie came almost to my knees and the soft fleecy lining felt **_**really**_** good against certain body parts. Okay, I know that sounds pathetic, but Joe had been out of town for more than a month and we had sort of drifted apart before he left anyway. It had been a really long time since I'd had a social orgasm, and while it sounded great in my head, I had to admit that a booty call with Ranger just wasn't the way my heart wanted to go.**

**I stuffed my wet clothes into a small trash bag, washed my face, and trundled back into the office. Ranger was leaning against the file cabinets, talking on his phone, but his lips tuned up when he saw me in his clothes with the sleeves and pant legs rolled up. Connie leaned close as she handed me the envelope with my check in it. "I know things are tight, Steph," she whispered. "I put something extra in with your check. You can pay me back when business picks up. Nobody needs to know." She flicked her eyes toward Ranger.**

"**Oh Connie," I whispered back. "You're a doll! But I can't accept this. I'll be fine, honest." Good thing I wasn't a crier, or I would have.**

**She shook her head slightly, "Okay, but the offer still stands if you change your mind." I nodded back and took out the check, handing the envelope back to her with a rueful smile. **

**Ranger looked like he was intent on his phone call, but nothing slipped by him, so I was sure he caught the whole exchange. One more embarrassment. I grabbed up my purse and pulled the hood of the sweatshirt up, "Okay, I'm gone. Thanks for the clothes Ranger, I'll wash 'em and get 'em back to you. Con, I'll see you tomorrow," and I headed for the door, trying to beat a hasty retreat.**

**I didn't even have my hand on the knob when Ranger's arm snaked around my waist and hauled me backward against his chest. "You don't think I'd let you go out there in this weather without a coat or shoes, do you? I'll take you home."**

"**Oh well, thanks," I babbled, "But I gotta go to the bank and run some errands and …" Before I knew it, he had taken off his jacket and was zipping me into it. Suddenly I was wrapped in the heady cocoon of his body heat and the scent of warm Ranger and Bulgari. Needless to say, my brain instantly ceased to function, but my hormones sure were getting a workout. Probably I looked as dazed as I felt, but I wasn't capable of protesting when he scooped me up off my feet and carried me out of the office to his big, black Devil truck.**

**Connie was sitting at her desk, chin in hand, a dreamy smile on her face. She sighed and gave me a little finger wave as we went by, my arms around his neck and my head on his shoulder. I would guess that I was wearing a goofy grin of my own.**

**I snapped out of my haze when we got to the bank and Ranger pulled into a parking space instead of going to the drive-thru. He took off his seat belt and turned toward me, one arm over the back of the seat and the other on the steering wheel. "I've got a problem that I think you can help me with," he said.**

**I held up a hand, "I'm sorry Ranger, but if you need money, I really don't think I can float you a loan. You're just not a good credit risk," I quipped.**

**That earned me a full 200 watt smile. "Well then, let's try a different solution," he answered, playing along. "Binkie has been doing the research since he started at RangeMan. The problem is that I need him out in the field, so I'm short a researcher. You already know the job so that makes you the logical candidate. Would you consider coming back to RangeMan?"**

**I knew what he was doing, he was trying to save me from the embarrassment of having to hock my stuff. With the check I was holding, I barely had enough to cover my rent. The job would be a lifesaver. It would mean a regular income; I could pay my bills, work inside for a change, have a company car with heat in it. I couldn't think of a single reason to say no. **

**I swallowed hard. "Sure," I shrugged nonchalantly, still not looking at him, "I suppose I could help you out." **

"**Thanks," Ranger replied. "I appreciate it." I could hear the smile in his voice as he backed out of the parking space and pulled up to the drive-thru.**

**He took my check and deposit slip and heard him talking to the teller and thanking her, then handed me the receipt and we pulled off and headed toward my apartment. I glanced at the piece of paper and then looked at it again. "Ranger?" I squeaked, "This is wrong! We have to go back. The teller made a mistake. This is way too much!" and I held the receipt out to show him.**

**He didn't even look at it, just said, "Sign on bonus." I just gaped at him but the tone of his voice said that the topic was closed. **

**We pulled into my parking lot and I thought that Ranger would just drop me off, but he pulled into a space right in front of the door. He came around to my side, lifted me out of the truck and carried me all the way up to my apartment before he put me down.**

"**I'll see you tomorrow morning, 9am," he said, all business. All I could do was nod. An uneasy silence stretched between us as we stood there, looking at each other. I couldn't figure out what he was waiting for and my mouth went dry at the thought he might kiss me … finally he took a step forward and put a hand on my arm. My heart flip flopped until he said, "My jacket?"**

"**What? Oh, yeah, sure, your jacket, sorry …" I know I flushed as I fumbled with the zipper and almost died when I managed to get it snagged on the hoodie. "Oh damn!" I muttered as I fought with it.**

"**Here, let me …" he reached for the zipper pull and bent his head down as I raised mine up to look at him. His chin and my forehead connected with a thunk and we both yelled "Ow!" and started to laugh. I got the zipper unjammed and slid out of the jacket, handing it to him.**

"**I'm sorry, do you want some ice for that?" I asked, still laughing as I reached up and touched the red mark on his chin as he ran his fingers across my forehead. "No, you?" he asked in return, but I just shook my head, 'No'.**

**My eyes met his and held for a long second, and I watched the smile fade from his face. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against the bruise that was forming on my forehead. "Better?" he murmured against my skin.**

"**Uh-huh," I breathed in reply and reached up to kiss the mark on his chin. At the last second he dipped his head so that our lips met and fused. **

**I don't know when my arms went around his neck or when he crushed my body against his but suddenly we were both ravenous, feeding on each other's mouths. We stumbled back and hit the wall; his hands seemed to be everywhere at once, kneading my breasts, my ass. I clawed at his shirt, pulling it out of his pants, and ran my fingers over his chest and back, feeling the corded muscles bunch under my hands. **

**His hands snaked under the hoodie, untying the waist of sweatpants. He pushed them down my legs to the floor and lifted me out of them. I stroked him through his cargos, feeling him pulse under my hands and found myself frantically tearing at his belt buckle, needing to get him naked too. **

**His tongue slid over mine while his hands came up under the sweatshirt to palm my breasts and torture my nipples. I fisted one hand in his hair to hold his mouth to mine while my other hand slid into his cargos. I sucked on his tongue, matching the rhythm of my hand and he growled deep in his chest. **

**We were both panting when his hands dropped down under my ass and he lifted me, my legs wrapping around his hips. Out of nowhere a high pitched shriek filled the air, jolting us back to reality. Ranger took a step back and I let my legs slide down until my feet hit the floor. **

**He pulled his cell phone off his belt and, leaning his forehead against the wall, he flipped it open and barked, "Talk!" It took me a second to realize that the phone was issuing a 911 emergency call to all RangeMan employees. This was a battle stations, all hands on deck, Mayday, scramble the fighter jets call for help, used only for the most critical emergencies. And it meant that Ranger was leaving.**

**He took a second or two to catch his breath, then straightened his clothes and put on his jacket. I stood with my arms wrapped around myself and stared at the floor. Ranger put his hand on my cheek and ran his thumb over my lips, then bent his head and kissed me gently. "I'm sorry, Babe," he whispered against my lips. But what he was sorry for, I wasn't quite sure. **

**And then he was gone, jogging down the hall to the stairs. I locked the door behind him and leaned back on it, thumping my head against the wood. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! I obviously had no self control at all! **

**I must be out of my mind! Didn't I just tell myself that a booty call with Ranger would lead to disaster? What's the matter with me? Why did I do this to myself? Friggin' hormones, that's why! **

**I pushed off the door and stomped down the hall, headed for the bathroom and my old pal, the shower massager, wondering if it came in a turbo model!**

**TBC…**

**A/N: Hi there! First off, I want to thank the Cupcake who inspired this story. When I first found Plum, I had no clue that there were Babes and Cupcakes, or that they were at odds with each other. Like a lamb to the slaughter, I posted a comment and got blasted by someone who didn't share my view. Among other things, she told me that Joe was a good cop and that Ranger had better back away from Stephanie because if he pushed Joe too far, Joe could arrest Ranger for Abruzzi's murder. This is the story that her 'lecture' inspired. I hope you enjoy it. **

**I'm still a review slut, so please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**

**Stayce**


	2. Love Me Or Leave Me!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed.**_

_**Warning: Language, Graphic Smut, All 12 books.**_

_**A/N: A special Thank You to Linda, Ranger Craving, for editing this chapter while Kashy is off playing in Europe. **__**I really appreciate it … Thanks, Babe, you made this story better. And Thank You to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

**Chapter 2: Love Me Or Leave Me!**

_**Love doesn't make the world go round,  
Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.  
Elizabeth Browning **_

**I sat in my cubby, chin in hand, and finished the final read through on the last background check of the day. As usual, I was looking for anything hinkey that might jump out at me, but this report was so squeaky clean and boring that I had to stifle a yawn. I shoved the file into a folder, tossed it into the 'Out' basket, and heaved a satisfied sigh. My 'In' box was empty, my desk was clear, it was Friday afternoon and I was ready for the weekend. **

**I had been back at RangeMan for about three months now, and everything was going great. Thanks to my 'sign on bonus' the heater in my car was fixed and all my bills were paid. I actually had money in the bank and food in the fridge. Ella was so thrilled I was here again that she sneaked me a steady supply of forbidden goodies and the Merry Men had welcomed me back with open arms. In fact, later on I was meeting some of the guys at Shorty's for a 'Pizza and Pool' night, so I even had a social life… kinda.**

**It was all good. As far as I could tell, I only had one real problem, and it wasn't work related. Well, I guess maybe it was, kinda sorta work related. In a way. Maybe. Oh, the problem? Sex. Or to be precise, the LACK of sex was getting to be a problem. **

**Now anybody who knows me knows that birthday cake and sex run neck and neck as my favorite things in life, and birthday cake only wins by a rose anyway. Let's face it, I could get all the birthday cake I wanted, anywhere, anytime, anyplace, so that wasn't the issue. It was the sex part that I seemed to be having trouble with.**

**I couldn't even remember the last time I had a date, much less a social orgasm. Hell, the only time I even came close was when Ranger and I attacked each other in my apartment. At the time, I had wondered what he meant when he said he was sorry, I guess now I know … Ranger was acting like it had never happened.**

**I mean, I saw Ranger every day, and he was pleasant and polite and professional … the perfect boss. Unfortunately for me, he was also sexy and gorgeous and smelled good and did I say sexy? But he never said a single word about that 'close call', not even when I brought back his clothes, all nice and washed and ironed. What? You thought **_**I **_**ironed them? Oh please! I went to my Mom and asked her to do it, but it's the thought that counts, right? **

**Anyway, for the three months that I've worked here, he's been acting really different. If I have to go into his office, he leaves the door open. If we're on the elevator together, he always leans against the far wall. If we pass in the hall, he nods and says, "Stephanie," in that deep, melted milk chocolate voice of his. But nothing else. **

**He's been treating me like a regular employee! Maybe he was afraid I'd yell sexual harassment, or that the Merry Men would think that there was something going on between us. I don't know his reasons. All I did know was that he's been keeping me at arm's length and it was really infuriating. **

**I admit it! I missed the touches and the stolen kisses and the double entendres, the playfulness we shared at the bonds office. I thought about it all the time and it made me hot and bothered. The feel of his hand on the back of my neck, his breath on my cheek, his tongue touching mine … It was all I could do not to jump his bones and demand some answers. While I rode him like Zorro, of course. **

**See? This is why a shower massager, even my new 6 speed turbo model, just wasn't cutting it anymore. It was fine when it supplemented my normal sex life, tiding me over until Joe got back in town, or his guys missed me, or I got horny. I had spent so much time with that particular appliance that we were on a first name basis … I called him Sam.**

**But now, I had no sex life at all and as my sole source of satisfaction, Sam the massager was a pretty poor substitute for what a real live man can do for you … and to you.**

**I mean think about it, no touches, no caresses, no hugs or kisses, no cuddling, no one to hold you at night, nobody to snuggle up with and watch TV, nobody to fall asleep with or wake up with. And at the risk of sounding like a real nympho, Sam really wasn't into foreplay. I'd say I was fucked, but the real problem was that I wasn't … fucked, that is.**

**Trying to figure out the cause of my sudden wanton desires was only making things worse. I couldn't figure out if I was this horny before I took the job, or was it the job that was making me this horny? I was like this tiny Estrogen Island in the middle of the Testosterone Sea. **

**So here I was, driving myself nuts working at RangeMan. Now sexually deprived little me was spending five days a week in an office surrounded by buff bodies in skin tight t-shirts and cargo pants that showcased all their best assets. I worked out in the gym and watched sweaty muscles ripple until my mouth went dry and my knees went weak. Just the smell of testosterone that hung in the air was overpowering. Did I just say hung? I needed to find a real live human male and I needed to find him fast! **

**I found myself ogling the Merry Men … now that's desperation! I mean, sure they were all ogle-worthy, but if anybody saw me, I was setting myself up for a major embarrassment here. Unfortunately, this was me we were talking about and I could only go so long without humiliating myself. So it was inevitable that I would get caught leering at a RangeMan, in this case, it was Bobby's ass that did me in. **

**Bobby had dropped off a couple of search requests for me and I had rolled my chair to the doorway of my cubby and leaned way back so I could watch Bobby's buns as he walked down the hall. I was so enthralled by the sight of those excellent muscles that I didn't even notice that Tank was standing right next to me, and Tank is pretty damned hard to miss. He must have said my name a couple of times, but when I didn't answer, he leaned down and blew in my ear. I probably went three feet straight up in the air, screamed, got tangled in the chair and went over backwards, chair and all, landing sprawled out in the hall for God and RangeMan to see. **

**Tank struggled to keep a straight face as he untangled my legs from the chair and picked me up off the floor. "You okay, Bombshell?" he choked out.**

"**Jeez, Tank, you gotta quit sneaking up on people! You trying to give me a heart attack?" I snarked at him as I rubbed my butt. **

**He stood looking down at me, his face breaking into a huge grin. Taking me by the shoulders, he made a big show of turning me around and looking me over. **

"**What are you looking for? Blood?" I got worried there for a minute. **

"**Naah! I'm looking for the wet spot. I figure you landed in that big puddle of drool you left on the floor while you were watching Bobby's ass!" Tank threw his head back and roared with laughter until tears rolled down his cheeks. **

"**Taaank!" I squealed as I hauled off and smacked him in the arm as hard as I could, "It's not that funny!" And then it hit me. "Oh My God! You have to promise me that you won't tell anybody … come on Tank, pleeeeeease?" I begged. If Tank knew, then he'd tell Bobby, and if Bobby knew, he'd tell Lester. And if Lester knew … well then the world knew. My humiliation would be complete … I could never hold my head up at RangeMan again. "Pleeeeeease!" **

"**Bombshell," Tank choked out as he mopped his eyes, "I won't tell a soul, but it won't make any difference." He pointed up, over my head. **

**I groaned when I saw the cameras for the internal monitoring system pointed at me. I covered my face with my hands and slunk back into my cubby, huddling in my chair. My fate was sealed; I would never be able to live it down.**

**Later, on my way to lunch, I passed the Control Room where Hal was working the monitors. I gave him a little finger wave and he gave me a wicked grin, then held up a tape. Shit! Stephanie Plum starring in the latest episode of RangeMan's Funniest Home Videos. I just wanted to crawl under my desk and stay there. I guess Hal finally got his revenge on me for stunning him last year. **

**When I got back from lunch I found a new slideshow screensaver on my computer … naked butts … baby butts, pasty white butts, fat butts, skinny butts, hairy butts, wrinkled butts, a red baboon butt, and the last one, a picture of me, landing on my ass, with a caption that said, 'The Butt Stops Here!' Merry Man humor. Just friggin' swell!**

**As if that whole fiasco wasn't bad enough, I followed it up a week or so later with Act II in the gym. As per my contract with RangeMan, I was required to work out a minimum of three days a week. But it seemed that no matter when I showed up at the gym, and honest to God, I did try to avoid them, there were at least a couple of half naked Merry Men in there, working hard to keep their buff bodies buff. **

**I had the guys memorized. It got to the point that you could have shown me a picture of just body parts, like pecs or abs, and I could tell you who they belonged to. I was so distracted by these masses of male pulchritude that my body wasn't getting half the workout that my hormones were. Eight million Hungarian hormones were doing jumping jacks and I was walking into walls. **

**The treadmill that I always used was turned to face the wall. Unfortunately, that wall was entirely mirrored so I got a full view of the whole gym and let me tell ya that I didn't miss a thing. So early one morning I'm plodding along, not nearly enough caffeine flowing through my body, so my brain isn't exactly working at optimum efficiency. Ram and Cal strolled into the gym, gave me a wave and promptly stripped off their shirts. They started to warm up and my already lame brain just fogged over. Now my biggest problem was not stepping on my own tongue, which was hanging out because Ram and Cal have bodies so gorgeous that you could look at them and forget how to breathe.**

**So I upped the speed on the treadmill. I was better off concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other instead of concentrating on where I wanted to be putting my … um, never mind. Ram and Cal squared off on the mat and went at it. I have no idea what they were doing, but it looked like a combination of kickboxing and wrestling. They grappled and rolled around on the mat, first one on top and then the other and I was mesmerized by their rippling muscles and hot, sweaty bodies.**

**Anyway, just when I finally banished the image of being the happy filling in a RangeMan sandwich, who walked out of the locker room wearing nothing but a pair of shorts but Ranger, followed by Lester. By the time they finished their warm up, I was mouth breathing. In a moment of brilliance, I upped the incline on the treadmill thinking that I could work off some of my pent up frustrations. Ranger and Lester took their turn on the mat and I'm pretty sure that's when my brain disconnected from the rest of my body! **

**I couldn't have taken my eyes off Ranger if I had wanted to. The only time I had seen him naked had been on our one night together, but this was pretty damned close, and suddenly I had a flash of him sliding hard and deep inside me. I had to get out of there before my eyes rolled back in my head and I did a 'When Harry Met Sally' number and humiliated myself … again. **

**Oh, you already know what happened! I was staring at Ranger and I reached out to hit the Stop button and mashed the Speed button instead. Who knew that a treadmill could go from zero to sixty in .05 seconds? Not me! I shrieked at the top of my lungs as the mutant machine kicked into high gear and flung me off backwards. **

**I don't even remember landing. The next thing I knew, I was sprawled on my back with a circle of worried faces swimming above me. I vaguely remember being strapped onto a gurney and think I gave the guys a loopy grin and a finger wave right before they slid me into the ambulance and I slipped into La-La Land.**

**I woke up in the Emergency Room with Bobby bending over me. "How are you feeling, Steph?"**

**I groaned, and struggled to sit up. "I guess I'm okay. Unless you can die from terminal embarrassment. I did it again, huh?"**

**Bobby patted my shoulder. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Steph. It looks like that treadmill malfunctioned. Ranger's having it checked out now." **

**A snort escaped me. "Tell Ranger to save his money. I can pretty much guarantee that it was pilot error that caused my crash," I said dejectedly. **

**Bobby snickered. "Paying more attention to the scenery than the road again, were you?" Bobby joked with a smile.**

**I would have rolled my eyes at him if my head hadn't hurt so badly. "Can we please just get out of here? I've faced enough humiliation for one day."**

**Bobby got hold of the doctor and got me discharged with orders to take it easy for a couple of days, not to drive or operate any machinery. Wasn't that what got me into this mess in the first place?**

**You know how they say that trouble comes in threes? Well, 'they' were right! My third embarrassing episode was the worst, but at least it was private mortification. **

**There are no women's locker rooms or bathrooms at RangeMan. When I worked there before, and again now, a nice little 'Ladies' Room' sign magically appeared on the door of one rest rooms on the fifth floor. No problem, I had some privacy and the guys didn't mind, so it worked out fine. The problem was the locker room. I couldn't boot all the guys out when I wanted to shower and change, and I sure as hell wasn't gonna share it with them. So what to do?**

**Ranger solved the problem by letting me use his apartment. He was always up and out early, and didn't get back until late. I tried to get gym time in before I clocked in, so it all worked out great. Until a couple of days ago, that is. **

**I had mentioned that I needed to sharpen up my takedown skills and Cal had offered to help me. We decided to meet in the gym at lunch time when there would be fewer spectators. I have to admit that I was worried about being that up close and personal with Cal's body, especially in my current state of deprivation. I got over that the first time he tossed me over his shoulder and bounced me off the floor like a rubber ball. By the fifth time I went flying through the air, I was pissed. And by the time I finally got the hang of the technique Cal was trying to teach me, I was pretty sure they were gonna have to carry me out of there in a body bag. **

**I limped into Ranger's cool, calm, dimly lit apartment, red faced, soaked with sweat, and aching in places I didn't even know I owned. Dragging myself into the bathroom, I stood in the shower, under the pounding hot water, until I felt my muscles relax and I could breathe without my chest hurting. Unfortunately, being surrounded by the scent of Bulgari was like being wrapped in Ranger and created a whole different set of problems that I didn't dare do anything about. Not here, at least. **

**I hopped out of the shower … okay, so hopping was an exaggeration. I stepped out of the shower and turbaned my hair in a towel, using another for my body. I spent a minute or two slathering on body lotion so that I didn't have to smell like Ranger all day. I mean it was bad enough that he drove me nuts without me driving me nuts, too. Then I bent over to towel dry my hair.**

**I heard the clink as my little gold hoop earring hit the floor and skittered away. I looked around the floor, and finally tossed the towel onto the counter before I got down on my hands and knees to try and find it. I've been told that position is everything in life, but I don't think that this position was what they had in mind. There I was, stark naked, cheek pressed against the marble tiles, ass up in the air, when the bathroom door flew open and Ranger walked into the room. Please God, just let me die now.**

**I jerked up onto my knees, not that it helped any. Now I was stark naked and on my knees in front of Ranger, eye to eye with his crotch. He was barefoot and shirtless, his cargoes unbuttoned and half unzipped and suddenly I was praying to God for something else entirely. **

**Ranger's sharp intake of breath echoed in the room like a gunshot, still, I couldn't seem to raise my eyes to his face. I watched, hypnotized, as he hardened and his cargos got tight. **

**He growled, deep in his throat and ground out, "Fuck!" **

**I licked my lips and breathed, "Oh God, Yes!" before I could stop myself. **

**Like lightening, his fingers twisted in my hair. He hauled my head back and he bent down, kissing me so hard I could feel my lip split. My hands slid up the back of his legs to steady myself as he ravaged my mouth, and the heat between us made me dizzy.**

**As quickly as he grabbed me, Ranger let me go and took a step back, his fists clinched at his sides. I felt my face flame, and I sank down onto the tiles, wrapping my arms around to cover myself. I still couldn't look in his face, but for a different reason now. "Get dressed, Stephanie!" he hissed as he backed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. **

**Oh My God! This was so bad! I'm a girl who should be used to embarrassing herself. I didn't even think it was possible for me to blush anymore and here my face was on fire. I mean, I've blown up cars, rolled in garbage, been head humped by dogs, attacked by geese, dragged in naked, Vaseline covered skips, and even tried to explain my jelly donut theory to Ranger, but nothing, NOTHING, had ever been this humiliating. **

**And really, this was beyond humiliation … I wasn't able to take my eyes off the man's crotch, for God's sake! And he says 'Fuck' and I say 'Yes'? What the hell is the matter with me? I was such a slut! I guess he was lucky I didn't just whip it out of his pants for him. **

**I didn't have to look at his face to tell how angry he was, those clinched fists and that slammed door were evidence enough. I threw my clothes on as fast as I could. I had to get downstairs before Ranger tossed me out a window or sent me to Lapland or Rwanda or one of those 'stan' countries that nobody could locate. I held my breath as I peeked out of the bathroom. Good! No Ranger in sight! **

**I hustled out of the apartment and down the stairs to the fifth floor. Yes, I took the stairs thankyouverymuch! I spent the rest of the afternoon looking over my shoulder, waiting for the axe to fall. I have to admit that I was pretty surprised that I was still employed at five o'clock when I left for the day.**

**The next morning when I got to RangeMan, nobody acted weird or looked at me funny, so I guessed that Ranger didn't say anything to anybody about our … encounter. I should have known he wouldn't; after all, he was such a private person. But still, he was a guy, and most of the guys I knew would have shared this little tid-bit with their buddies, complete with leering smiles and waggling eyebrows. Maybe that's what was wrong with the guys I knew. **

**When I got to my cubby, I found an envelope next to my computer. In it was my earring and a key to one of the efficiency apartments on the fourth floor. The key had a tag on it, 'Women's Locker Room.' Leave it to Ranger to find a solution to every problem. And me? I just kept my fingers crossed that my most embarrassing RangeMan moments were over with.**

**Saturday may be date night, but Friday night is RangeMan's Pizza and Pool night at Shorty's. We always had a designated driver who played chauffeur, and that night it was Hal. I knew it was only Shorty's, but I had to admit that I enjoyed dressing up a little bit. I spent extra time on my hair and makeup, and wore nicer clothes than my usual jeans and t-shirt, definitely more feminine than my RangeMan uniform. I wore a sapphire blue, long sleeved, cashmere wrap sweater. Since I wasn't the world's best pool player, I needed every advantage I could get. Between flashing my cleavage and the tight stovepipe pants I was wearing, I figured I was ****leveling**** the playing field, so to speak.**

**I always thought that I could put away pizza, but I was a slouch compared to the Merry Men. I couldn't tell you how many pizzas and pitchers of beer were served to our tables, but it was a very well fed and happy group that hit the back room and commandeered the pool tables. We each put ten bucks into the pot, drew lots and played elimination games. The last player standing took home the winnings.**

**I won my first couple of games, thanks to my cleavage, I'm sure. I had just leaned over to line up a shot when that old familiar tingle zipped down my spine … Ranger was here. He normally didn't show up for these little get-togethers, so I had to wonder what brought him out here tonight. I hadn't seen much of him since the incident in his bathroom, but let's face it, we had seen an awful lot of each other in those couple of minutes. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the shot I had to make.**

**Despite Range watching, I won that game, but was eliminated in the next round, so I sat on the sidelines with the guys and watched as Hal wiped the floor with the competition and won the pot. Maybe it had something to do with him being the only player who wasn't drinking? As the guys cleaned up their bottles and mugs, I excused myself and went to the ladies' room. When I came out, all the guys had wandered back to the bar, and only Ranger and I were left in the pool room.**

**Ranger was at a table, racking the balls. "Game?" he asked without looking at me.**

"**I didn't know you played," I said as I chose a cue and chalked the tip. The waitress came in and handed us each a Corona with lime and I saluted Ranger with the bottle before I took a pull.**

"**Lot of things you don't know about me," he offered as he stepped back from the table.**

**I almost snorted.****"So what made you decide to join us tonight?" I lined up the cue ball and took the shot, scattering the balls on the table.**

"**Nice break. I came to see you." He concentrated on the table, watching me make an easy shot.**

"**About…?" I prodded.**

"**I should have knocked," he said matter of factly as he sank a couple of balls.**

**I knew that was as close to an apology as I'd ever get from him. "I should have locked the door," I said back, apology accepted. **

"**We okay now?" He looked at me for the first time.**

**I just nodded and we continued to play in silence that didn't seem at all awkward. When I blew another bank shot, I cursed under my breath.**

"**It's always that same shot that gets me!" I bitched.**

"**I noticed," he said. "You overcompensate."**

"**What?" I watched while he set up my shot again.**

"**Line up the shot," he told me, and I leaned over the table.**

"**So what am I doing wro …" My breath caught in my throat as Ranger bent over me, his arms over mine, my hands covered by his. I was trapped as the whole length of his body overlaid mine. I could feel his breath on my neck, his muscled chest against my back, my ass pressed into his lap and his thighs against the back of my legs. I was wrapped in Ranger and it was the most erotic thing I had ever known. **

**His heat soaked into me, and every nerve ending I had flared to life. My mouth went dry and my nipples contracted almost painfully. Lightening shot through my veins and the desire that coiled low in my belly made me dizzy. Ranger felt it too, and he groaned when I shuddered under him. **

"**Jesus, Babe," he breathed into my hair. He didn't move, but I could feel him harden and grow against my butt. I moved against him and his hands tightened on my wrists. His mouth found the side of my neck and I whimpered when he bit into the soft flesh. We were called back to reality when the lights flashed and Shorty bellowed, "Last call!"**

**Ranger straightened and stepped back from me. I dropped the cue on the table, "I have to go," I said without looking at him. I grabbed my bag and headed into the bar to catch my ride home. Only when I got out there, all the Merry Men were gone. I settled my tab and hurried out to the parking lot, but again, no Merry Men. **

**I was fishing my phone out of my purse to call a cab when a real rough looking guy on a Harley roared up so close in front of me that I had to step back. He got off his bike and literally backed me against the side of the building, bracing his hands on either side of me so that I couldn't escape. "I been watchin' you play pool, Sweetheart," he leered. "You got good hands. I can give ya a real piece of wood to play with." He leaned in, like he was going to try to kiss me.**

**I was just about to knee him in the balls, when the guy's smile faded and his eyes got wide. The Glock pressed against his temple probably had something to do with it. Ranger growled one word, "Mine!" The guy nodded and mumbled, "No offense, buddy." He ran to his bike and took off out of the lot, running the red light on the corner just to get away.**

**Ranger put the gun in his waistband and pulled his sweater down over it, then took my hand and led me to the Porsche. **

"**Thanks, but you really didn't need to rescue me," I told him as I buckled my seatbelt.**

"**I know," he said, arching an eyebrow, "I was rescuing **_**him**_**." I couldn't help but smile.**

**It was well after midnight when we got up to my apartment. Ranger took my keys and opened the door, made me wait in the hall while he did his walk through. No stalkers or boogey-men tonight, only killer dust bunnies under the bed. He dropped the keys in my hand and curled my fingers over them. **

"**Do you want to come in?" I asked as I dropped my keys in my bag.**

**He cupped my face in one hand and ran his thumb over my lips. "If I come in, Stephanie," he said softly, "I won't be leaving until after breakfast." He waited a long second. "But I can't offer you more than I already have." **

**My eyes snapped up to his glittering black ones and I saw heat and hunger there. I had about three seconds to make a decision. What was Ranger offering me anyway? Really, nothing different than what I'd had with Joe. I didn't say anything, just held my hand out to him and took a step back through my doorway.**

"**Are you sure that it's enough?" he asked, searching my eyes. I reached out and hooked my fingers into the waistband of his jeans, pulling him through the door. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him with everything I had in me. I had made my decision, and I wanted this man and whatever it was that he was offering, for as long as it lasted. **

**He lifted me around the waist, holding me tight against him, and carried me through foyer, only stopping to kick the door shut. He never broke the kiss, just took me into the bedroom and put me down next to the bed. This was nothing like our one night together; I had no nerves, only need. No fears, only desires. **

**I pushed his sweater up over his chest, and he reached over his shoulder to grab a fistful of fabric, hauling it over his head and tossing it aside. I reached for his belt buckle, opening it and pulling it out of the loops all the while feasting on his neck and grazing my teeth over his collarbones. The button and zipper on his jeans yielded to me and I breathed a sigh of triumph; he hissed in a sharp breath of pleasure as I stroked his hard, hot length with both hands.**

**Ranger opened the ties on my sweater and ran his hands under the material, peeling it off my shoulders and down my arms exposing my skin to his mouth. Everywhere his lips touched me, I burned. My eyes drifted closed when his fingertips whispered a trail of fire across the swell of my breasts and up to my shoulders, pulling down the black lace bra straps. In seconds he had the clasp open and the bra followed the sweater to the floor. His hot hands palmed my breasts, his thumbs brushing over my nipples, stealing my breath away.**

**I kicked off my boots and tore off my slacks as fast as Ranger shed the rest of his clothes and I stood there in a tiny scrap of satin and lace that masqueraded as panties, impatience skittering through me. He removed them with a single tug, and I was standing naked in front of him. No embarrassment like the other day; now, we were equals. **

**Wrapping his arms around me, he lifted me and followed me down onto my bed, his delicious weight pressing me into the mattress. He fisted his hands in my hair as he fused his lips to mine, his tongue exploring my mouth until I was dizzy. When the kiss broke, he used his hands, his mouth, his teeth and his tongue to inflame my body. I could feel him smile against my skin as he rediscovered each place that made me sigh or moan or gasp or writhe with pleasure. **

**I pushed him onto his back and straddled him, greedily returned the ****favor****. My hands and mouth traced his muscled shoulders, his abs, nipped at his hipbones, touched everywhere, found all of his secret places. I moved down his body deliberately, feeling the rhythm of his heart change under my hands as I dipped my tongue into his navel. I watched his beautiful eyes close as I teased him with my lips and tongue, nuzzling that line of fine hair below his abs, making his hips arch when I took him in my mouth. I was pushing him closer to the edge, and I had never in my life felt such power. **

**He rolled on top of me, "My turn," he whispered and the sweet torture continued. He laved the spot where my neck met my shoulder, then sucked the skin into his mouth, marking me, hard and deep. He feathered kisses over my chest and between my breasts, circling my nipples with tiny kisses and little licks until I was all but sobbing. Finally, he took my nipple in his mouth and sucked hard. I felt the pull down through my belly, all the way to my toes. He kissed his way to my other breast, sucking until I thought I would go mad.**

**His fingers slipped between my folds and into me, first one, then another. They matched the rhythm of his mouth on my breast and I writhed against him, rocking my hips, looking for release. He slid down my body, grazing my belly with his teeth, his tongue flicking out to taste me. He was the Devil incarnate, bringing me to the edge and then backing off over and over until I was beyond pleading and was cursing him back to Hell, begging him to take me with him.**

**Finally he took pity on me. Spreading my legs with his hips, he slid into me in one single thrust, filling me, completing me, making me cry out because it felt so good, being filled with him, so hot and hard. He stilled, waiting for my body to adjust to him, and I could see from the corded muscles in his neck and his clenched jaw, just what that was costing him. **

**Then he started to move, pulling almost all the way out, before slowly sliding back in. I had let him play, torturing me. I knew that Ranger made love. But God help me, I didn't want slow and gentle. It was my turn, I wanted … no, I needed him, hard and fast and rough. I slid my feet up the bed, spreading my legs open wide, rocking my hips up hard to meet him. My fingers dug into him, pulling him closer, higher up inside me. I tightened my muscles around him and clawed at his back. **

**I leaned up and bit his shoulder until I tasted his blood. "Fuck me, Ranger!" I gasped out. "Fuck me!" **

**And, Oh God, he did. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, a smile, wild and feral, curved his mouth and a sudden jolt of fear shot through me, erotic and exciting. Sliding his arms under my back and curling his hands over my shoulders, his fingers bit into my flesh. He started to move, each thrust harder, faster, pounding into me until I had to reach back and brace my hands against the headboard. Ranger was giving me everything I had asked for, and more. I came screaming his name, and seconds later, he followed me over the edge into nirvana. **

**Ranger had said that if he came in, he wouldn't leave until after breakfast. He stayed for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner on Saturday night. When he left late Sunday morning I had a vague recollection of him chuckling because I couldn't move. He kissed my butt cheeks and the small of my back, between my shoulder blades and lastly, my mouth. I slept straight through to Monday morning.**

**I had to take three Advil just so I could move enough to get to work. Granted, Ranger was in much better shape than I was, but I wondered if he was even a little bit tired or sore. I had a bunch of background checks on new hires to give him, and decided that would give me the perfect excuse to check on him, just to see how he was doing, and to see if he still had that huge hickey I gave him on his neck. I tried to cover mine with makeup without much success. The Merry Men had teased me that morning, congratulating me that I finally had a love life. They never asked who it was, and if they knew that I had spent the weekend with Ranger, none of them was dumb enough to let on.**

**Armed with the files he had requested, I knocked on his office door and breezed in. "Hey Ran…" I stopped short when I realized the Tank was sitting behind Ranger's desk. The only time that Tank used this office was when Ranger was 'in the wind' for an extended period of time. I had a really bad feeling about this.**

"**Hey Bombshell! You have a good weekend? Yeah, guess you did! Nice hickey you're sporting there." His deep laugh boomed through the office.**

"**Um … Tank? Where's Ranger?" I was hoping against hope that I was wrong. **

"**Come on, Bomber. You know I can't tell you anything, but this is gonna keep him gone a long time. So any problems, just bring 'em to me." **

**I just nodded kind of numbly.**

"**Steph? What's the matter? You're pale." Tank got up and came over to me and bent down to look in my face and realization hit him. "Oh fuck!"**

_**Yeah!**_** I though. '**_**Oh fuck' just about nailed it! That dirty, no good, low down, rat bastard, son of a bitch did it to me … again! When the hell was I ever gonna learn? **_

**TBC…..**

**So okay, Ranger warned her. Should she be angry with him? Or with herself? Or should she not be angry at all and just chalk it up to experience? At least she isn't horny anymore. Should she quit RangeMan? Find a real boyfriend? Learn to cook? What?**

**Let me know what you think Steph should do?**

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. You make it all worth while.**

**Stayce**


	3. Looking For Love!

On her way to work one morning

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed.**_

_**Warning: Language, All 12 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, for putting up with my whining, and Christie, MagnificentSin, for ass kicking, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter. I really appreciate it … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And Thank You to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

**Chapter 3: Looking For Love!**

**Love isn't something you find.**

**Love is something that finds you!**

**Loretta Young**

**It had been a month since Ranger had blown town, and if you twisted my arm, I **_**might **_**have admitted that I had been a little pissed off at him for disappearing like that, but only for about fifteen seconds. If I wanted to be mad at somebody, then the only somebody I had to be mad at was ME! Ranger almost never told me when he was going off on some mission. Why would that change just because we spent a day and a half in bed together? I can pretty much guarantee that his mind was NOT on his schedule. ****That's one of the reasons, after being furious for a heartbeat, I got over it. **

**I mean, think about it. Ranger had always been very upfront about wanting to get me into bed, and every single time, I turned him down flat. He was probably more surprised than I was that I actually took him up on his offer. In fact, you should have seen the expression on his face. Okay, so maybe you wouldn't have been able to see the difference, but I knew Ranger and let me tell you … he was shocked!**

**Ranger always said that his life didn't lend itself to relationships, and this just proved it. He didn't lie or try to deceive me, didn't promise me everlasting love and commitment, he never promised me anything at all. And I wasn't some poor, naïve little virgin (insert eye roll here) that he seduced, had sweet talked into bed, then ruined and abandoned. I was the grown up woman who dragged him into my apartment and into my bed. And believe me … I had NO regrets at all. **

**I mean, I wasn't some starry eyed romantic. I knew exactly what I was going to get with that man … mind blowing, bone melting, soul satisfying sex to the point that I couldn't have squeezed out another orgasm if my life had depended on it. I'm pretty sure that some of the things we did to each other are still illegal in some Southern states! Here it was, weeks later, and I was still experiencing aftershocks! How could anybody complain about that?**

**On top of it all, I expected him to get up in the morning and walk out again. I never in a million years thought he'd stay for breakfast, much less lunch and dinner and another breakfast. The thought of Ranger and me, lying in bed, stark naked, sharing containers of Chinese food, feeding each other Fragrant Shrimp and Emperor's Delight, just never even crossed my mind. Who knew that steamed dumplings could be so erotic?**

**Anyway, I had decided that there was nothing to be pissed about. What we had was a 'friends with EXCELLENT benefits' package, no pun intended, and I'd wait and see what happened when Ranger got back in town. In the meantime, if my Prince Charming showed up on his white steed and galloped off with me, so much the better. Hey! A girl can dream, can't she? **

**While I was waiting for my Prince to appear, I had been doing some extra training with the Merry Men. I had mastered take down techniques, so I wouldn't embarrass myself anymore, and shooting the crotch out of paper men at the gun range, you know, important stuff like that. **

**It was Tank's idea that I should start doing some skip tracing for RangeMan, just so I wouldn't get bored, he said. The man knows me a little too well! I guess a bored Stephanie Plum spelled trouble for the Merry Men. The whole idea was for me to start with the low bond skips, you know, the non-violent crowd that RangeMan normally doesn't take. Once the Merry Men knew I could handle them, I'd work my way down, couldn't really call it working my way up, to the next level. It was kind of like working my way through the seven circles of Hell. **

**I right away decided I'd take a pass on the real dangerous, high bond weirdos and crazies that Ranger and the Merry Men went after… I really didn't look good in SWAT gear, all that Kevlar and stuff just wasn't the fashion statement I wanted to make. Okay, so the truth is that the Merry Men duded me up in their riot gear, helmet, body armor, jack boots … the whole nine yards. They took one look at me and laughed so hard they almost pissed themselves. I kept forgetting how entertaining I was.**

**When I worked for Vinnie, I spent a lot of time chasing after skips. I mean literally… chasing them down the street and over fences, through yards and stores and across parking lots in snow and rain and sleet and wind and blistering heat. I had been pelted with food, rolled in garbage, held at gunpoint, hosed down the stairs, cursed, shot at and generally abused to the point where I actually quit bounty hunting for a while. Hell! I lost so many pairs of handcuffs that I was able to take them as a write off on my taxes. And even though I almost always got my man, it was a hell of a lot of work! **

**Of course, this wasn't gonna be anything like the bounty hunting I used to do. RangeMan put a whole different spin on skip tracing and had pretty much raised it to an art form. First of all, I got to use top notch RangeMan search engines so I could track down the scum bags without doing any actual leg work out on the street. Then, I got to use top quality RangeMan issued equipment … a RangeMan vehicle, a gun with bullets in it, handcuffs I didn't have to pay for, even a stun gun that was all charged up and ready to go. **

**And last but not least, but the **_**very**_** best of all, I got to use my very own, RangeMan issued, Merry Man, who'd go out on the pick ups with me. It was long standing RangeMan policy … nobody went out on a take down by themselves, not even Ranger. I didn't even have to drive! It really didn't get much better than that. **

**My first day out skip tracing for RangeMan, the Merry Man du jour was Cal, who came complete with flaming skull tattoo on his bald head. Let me tell ya, intimidation went a long way in bounty hunting and Cal was the king. He'd just stand there and snarl at a skip and they'd wet their pants and practically cuff themselves. **

**Me, on the other hand, I was a light weight in that department. The only time I was capable of striking fear into the hearts of men was when I was PMS-ing and even the Merry Men didn't want to tangle with me then. They knew a seriously deranged woman when they saw one. Unfortunately, that didn't work on skips and I obviously never looked like I was a threat to life and limb. Probably if I had, I never woulda been rolled in garbage and the cops wouldn't be running pools on me, now would they?**

**Anyhow, we got out on the street early to pick up our first upstanding citizen. Since that turned out to be my old pal, Ronnie Klineman of fire hose fame, we knew he wouldn't exactly be standing up. Seems the night he got out of court ordered rehab, he and his buddies went out to a local watering hole to celebrate his new found sobriety. Ronnie went ape shit and assaulted the bar tender when the guy cut him off after about a dozen boilermakers. **

**The cops showed up and carted his butt off to the Ronnie Klineman Memorial Drunk Tank. When he sobered up, Vinnie went and bonded him out and Ronnie returned to his ****favorite**** past time, big surprise. His court date got lost in an alcoholic haze. So here I was … again. I wondered if Ronnie realized what an unhealthy pattern of ****behavior**** he had.**

**Ronnie's building super hadn't been real forgiving about the whole fire hose incident, or the mess it caused, and he told Ronnie that if he ever pulled a stunt like that again, he'd be out on his ass. So I was hoping that Ronnie would remember that and behave this time… What? I told you I was a dreamer! **

**We spotted Ronnie stumbling around outside his building, drunk as a skunk and carrying on an animated conversation with an invisible friend. Cal and I joked that Ronnie's sidekick was an eight foot tall rabbit named Harvey. I hopped out of the shiny, black SUV and strolled over to Ronnie while Cal pulled around the corner and parked. **

**Ronnie tried to focus his bleary eyes on me as I walked up to him. "Hey, Snooky," he grinned, peering into my face, the alcohol on his breath making my eyes water. "How you doin'?" He pointed to his invisible friend and slurred, "You know mi amigo, right?"**

**I rolled my eyes. "Sure I do, Ronnie. We're best buds," I snarked, the sarcasm lost on him. I went into my spiel, "Look, I'm a Bond Enforcement Agent for Vincent Plum and blah, blah, blah..." **

**Ronnie's eyes got huge and his mouth dropped open as recognition flashed across his face. He held his hands out in front of him and starting backing away, like he was trying to ward me off. "Run!" he screamed, to his buddy I guess. "She'll put us back in rehab!" He whirled around, and made a mad dash down the street. Looking over his shoulder, he yelled, "Hurry up! Don't let her get you!" I guess his pal wasn't as fast on his feet as Ronnie was. Cal stepped out in front of Ronnie just as he turned the corner and Ronnie bounced himself off of Cal's chest. He staggered back and fell right into my arms. Out cold. **

"**Woooo-hooo, Cal!" I whooped! "You're better than a stun gun!" Cal grinned as we bumped fists over Ronnie's inert body. It took about thirty seconds for me to get him cuffed and for Cal to toss him in the back of the SUV. RangeMan skip tracing just couldn't be beat.**

**Ronnie was the last skip I had hauled in before I went to work for RangeMan, so it had been a couple of months since I had paid a visit to the station. I couldn't wait to march him up to the booking desk in my pristine RangeMan uniform, all neat and clean and pressed, make up perfect, not a single hair out of place, not even a chipped, French manicured fingernail. I wondered if the boys in blue had any pools running that would pay off on **_**that**_**. Naaah! They probably thought it was too far fetched.**

**I did get a bunch of wolf whistles from the guys, though, along with a couple of winks and a thumbs up. Eddie waved and yelled, "Looking good, kid!" as he pulled his squad car out of the parking lot. Nice to know they noticed.**

**Anyway, Robin Russell was at the booking desk and she smiled when she handed me back my cuffs and the body receipt for Ronnie. I turned to leave and there, lounging against the wall, hands in his pockets, was a grinning Joe Morelli. He had been gone on assignment for months and I hadn't heard a word from him. Seems to be a habit with the men in my life, doesn't it?**

**But I had to admit, Joe looked pretty damned good. After he made detective and got out of uniform, Joe almost always wore jeans and t-shirts to work. Now here he was, all dressed up in a suit and a blue dress shirt, and he was even wearing a tie. Not only was he drop dead handsome, he looked like a grown up. **

"**Hey stranger!" I gave him a huge smile and walked toward him with my arms open.**

**Joe pushed off the wall and wrapped me in a bear hug. "You're a sight for sore eyes, Cupcake! I missed you!" and he gave me a big smacking kiss on the mouth.**

**I pushed away a little so I could look up at him. "Yeah, I could tell how much you missed me from all the cards and letters and phone calls I got from you," I said playfully and arched an eyebrow at him.**

**He shrugged his broad shoulders and gave me those damn puppy dog eyes that used to make me forgive him anything. "Well, I meant to call you. I thought about you, a lot." **

"**Oh, you lie like a rug, Morelli," and I smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "You haven't changed at all!" We both laughed at that.**

**Cal stuck his head in the back door and called, "Hey Steph, you done? Connie called and we got a couple more to pick up." **

"**Okay, Cal, I'm coming!" I reached up and planted a kiss on Morelli's cheek. "Gotta go, Joe. See you around?"**

"**Sure Steph. Maybe we could grab a pizza or watch a game."**

"**Sounds great," I said as I scooted down the hall. "Give me a call sometime!" I waved at him and went out to the parking lot where Cal was sitting in the idling SUV, waiting to go after the next skip.**

**Boy, this was great! All I did was knock on the second skip's door, go into my spiel and then Cal stepped up behind me. The guy took one look and whimpered. I almost laughed as his shoulders slumped and he held out his hands to be cuffed... no sweat! And back to the station we went.**

**It was only noon by the time I hauled the third skip through the back door and into the station, still neat and clean. This clown had made a rep for himself by boosting cars to order. You know, you want a silver Lexus, all you had to do was call this guy. His ego was so overblown that when we pulled up on him in our RangeMan uniforms, in a RangeMan vehicle, he thought we were bringing him a trade-in. Idiot! When he finally realized who we were, he tried to buy me off with the car of my choice. I got to toss him up against the side of the SUV and cuff him while Cal patted him down. It was so sweet!**

**And so it went. I partnered with whichever Merry Man was scheduled for skip tracing that week and I learned something from each one of them, with the possible exception of Lester who seemed more interested in my carnal knowledge, if you know what I mean. I learned how to cuss in Spanish and to flip open a butterfly knife like a pro from Hector. Woody taught me some basic field first aid that I hoped I would never need to use. Tank taught me driving techniques and Cal demonstrated how eye contact and body language helped in take downs. Each one of the guys helped to turn me into a lean, mean bounty hunting machine. Okay, so maybe I wasn't so lean and maybe I was more wussie than mean, but in my own mind I was hot shit!**

**Anyway, I wished that the guys had taught me something that would help the situation I found myself in one night after work. My mother had called as I was leaving RangeMan, all upset because Grandma Mazur had been gone all day and hadn't checked in. Mom said that Grandma had a 'hot date' with her latest stud muffin and that they were going to the park to feed the ducks. Mom wanted me to go check the park. I was afraid that 'feed the ducks' was a euphemism for something else that I really didn't want to know about. But off to the park I went.**

**Chambers Street Park was filled with people out enjoying a beautiful afternoon in the city. There were joggers and people pushing baby carriages, lying on blankets, sitting on benches, and yes, feeding the ducks. I was standing at the edge of the lake, scanning the duck feeders, when I heard somebody behind me yell, "Look out!" **

**I turned just in time to see a blob of orange fur hurtling toward me, ears flapping, mouth open, tongue hung out. Just as the blob launched itself into the air, I instinctively sidestepped. Bob went flying past me, front and back legs out-stretched, in a comical version of Super Dog, an 'Oh Shit' expression on his furry face. He sailed out over the duck filled lake, wild eyed, his feet treading thin air, and with a yelp, he dropped like a rock into the water, scattering the ducks.**

**As far as we had ever been able to tell, Bob was part Yellow Lab, part Golden Retriever, and completely unable to swim. He was floundering around when the ducks regrouped and attacked. They quacked and flapped at Bob, pushing his head under water and by the time Morelli caught up, Bob was going down for the third time. **

**I had pulled off my Cats and was just about to go in and rescue Bob, when Morelli jogged past me and went straight into the water. Bob and the attack ducks had attracted a lot of attention and a small crowd had gathered to watch the show. When Joe grabbed hold of him, Bob leaped into his arms and wrapped his paws around Morelli's neck like a scared little kid. Joe carted traumatized Bob up onto dry land and acknowledged the round of applause he got from the onlookers with a little wave. **

**Bob bounded over to me and like any good dog, he shook himself off, showering me with lake water, and then slammed himself into my legs, knocking me on my ass. The dog was all over me, wanting me to pet him, yipping and licking, with me trying to fight him off.**

"**Bob, heel!" Joe commanded and when Bob totally ignored him, Joe hauled the dog off me by the collar, then held out his hand and pulled me to my feet. "My sister said she put him in obedience school," Joe said dryly, "but I think he flunked out."**

**Bob was jumping on his hind legs, trying to lick my face while I grappled with him. "Bob, heel!" I figured I had nothing to lose.**

**The dog immediately got down and sat by my side. I grinned at Morelli, he glared at me, and we both laughed. I grabbed my boots and we walked over and sat on the nearest bench so Joe could pull off his sneakers and dump the water out of them. There wasn't much he could do about his khaki shorts, just let them drip dry. Bob flung himself on the ground at our feet, exhausted from his duck ordeal.**

**I was watching Morelli strip off his sopping wet shirt and wring it out when my phone rang. It was my mother, telling me that Grandma had come home for dinner. Thank God I was off that hook. And I turned my attention back to Joe's abs which were looking mighty good!**

"**So," I said to Joe as I laced up my boots, "you back for good? Or are you going off gallivanting again?"**

"**Nope, I'm home, for a while, at least. I'm tired of being on the road all the time and living out of suitcases." He looked around the park. "It's good to be back."**

"**Your Mom and Grandma Bella must be happy, after all, you're the baby of the family." I grinned as Joe rolled his eyes. He was almost as good at it as I was.**

"**They won't stop feeding me," he said like that was a bad thing. "There's enough food in my fridge to feed a small army. They must think I didn't eat at all in the past six months." He turned to look at me. "You still go to your parents' house for dinner?"**

**I shot him **_**The Look.**_** "You know damn well that death is the only acceptable excuse for missing dinner."**

**He shook his head and chuckled. "Some things never change." Then he looked at me, like he was studying me. "You have though. There's something different about you."**

**I raised my eyebrows. "Liiiiike…?"**

"**I'm not sure." He thought about it for a minute. "You look, I don't know … focused, confident … something."**

"**Well thanks, I think. When you decide, let me know, okay?" At least he didn't say I looked fat.**

**He stretched his arms out over the back of the bench and crossed his legs, one ankle resting on his other knee. He looked relaxed, at ease. That was odd for Morelli. He had always reminded me of a coiled spring, all that tension ready to let loose. I guess he had changed, too.**

"**The other day, when I said that I thought about you a lot?" I nodded. "I meant it, you know." He was quiet for a long time. "I did a lot of thinking about us."**

"**Oh yeah?" I didn't know what I was supposed to say. "So what did you think about? About us, I mean?"**

"**I think we did it wrong, Steph."**

"**Ummmmm, what exactly did we do wrong?" I knew he couldn't be talking about the sex. That was just about the only thing that we always did right.**

"**Just about everything, I think. Right from the beginning, we screwed it all up." He turned sideways on the bench to face me. "To begin with, we always treated each other like fuck buddies."**

"**I thought we were very successful fuck buddies!" I said in our defense. **

"**Jesus, Steph! We got the fuck part right, but that was it. We even sucked at being buddies! We were both unhappy and we didn't know how to fix it. Look how many times we were on again/off again. Can you tell me why we couldn't make it work?"**

**I shrugged, "Who knows why? We just weren't compatible, I guess." Okay, so I was clueless.**

"**Oh, I can tell you why! We failed because neither one of us had any idea what the other wanted or needed. We never once had a serious conversation about what we expected or where we wanted our relationship to go. We were doomed to failure from the get go!" **

**I was surprised at how intense he was. "Wow! You really **_**have**_** been thinking about this, haven't you?" He nodded, but didn't say anything else. I reached out and touched his hand. "How come you started thinking about this now?"**

"**I had a lot of time on my hands with this assignment, and nothing to do but think. I guess I tried to figure out why it didn't work between us. I mean, we loved each other and it seemed like we tried so many times. But when I thought about it, I realized that we never really tried at all. When things went wrong, we'd cut and run and then when we got horny, we got back together. But we never fixed anything."**

**I thought about what Joe had said. At first I wanted to argue, to tell him he was wrong, to show him that we had worked hard on our relationship. But I couldn't. Joe was right about everything. Neither one of us had made any effort at all.**

"**We aren't any good talking about our feelings. And God knows we both have commitment issues. Maybe we're just the two wrong people." For some weird reason I felt like crying. **

"**I think we owe it to ourselves to find out, don't you?" He said softly, watching me, looking for my reaction.**

**I chewed that over for a minute. "So, how would we do that?" **

"**Have dinner with me," he said, like it was the most logical solution in the world.**

**I snorted. "Oh you're just trying to clean out your fridge, that's all," I teased.**

"**No," he laughed. "I'd like to take you **_**out**_** to dinner, to a restaurant. Maybe Saturday night? We could go into Philly or New York." **

"**Out? You mean like a … date?" I must have sounded like I didn't understand the concept; but honestly, this was new territory for us.**

"**Yeah," he said. "I think we should start at the beginning." He held out his hand, "Hi, my name is Joe. Would you like to go to dinner with me?"**

**I put my hand into his, still a little stunned. "Hi, I'm Stephanie, and I'd like that a lot."**

"**Good," he replied as he shook my hand. "It's a date!" And we grinned at each other.**

**We had been sitting there in the park so long that the sun had set and it had gotten dark. The lights were on and the joggers and kids had been replaced by couples, holding hands, necking on benches. Joe and Bob walked me around the lake to my car. I patted Bob and kissed Joe on the cheek, got in my car and drove home, my head spinning with everything Joe and I had talked about. **

**I had a knot in the pit of my stomach and as I replayed our whole conversation, I realized that the knot was excitement. I had a date. Holy shit! I had a DATE! All of a sudden I was thinking about what I was going to wear, and getting my nails done, and all the girly things I hadn't thought about in years. By the time Saturday night rolled around, I had butterflies in my stomach. **

**I mean this was nuts! I kept telling myself that this was just Joe, but apparently I wasn't listening to myself. This wasn't just Stephanie and Joe back together **_**again.**_** This time it was going to be new and different. Whether or not it worked, well, we'd have to wait and see, but if it didn't work out, at least we'd both know that we gave it our best shot.**

**It was a great date, though. We laughed, we ate, we danced, we talked. Joe brought me home and walked me to my door, kissed me on the cheek … and left. Kinda the way you think a first date is supposed to be. It was followed by lots more dates. We went to the movies and to the beach, we went to the concerts in the park, we met for lunch, went to Seaside Heights and went to the arcades on the boardwalk. But most of all, we talked. Something we really never did before, but should have.**

**What we didn't do was tell anybody, like our families, that we were seeing each other again. I'm not sure how Angie Morelli would have reacted, but my mother would have had the Elk's Lodge booked and my china pattern pick out for me. Nope, this was just gonna be between Joe and me until we figured out if this was really going anywhere this time. **

**We also agreed that we weren't gonna sit on the couch with pizza and beer and watch TV. Andweweren'thavingsexeither. Oh, cut it out! You look like a goldfish. It's not that big a deal! We decided that we weren't just gonna fall back into bed together like we always did. We needed to make sure that there was more going on than just sex. But that all changed on the 4****th**** of July.**

**Joe and I went back to his house after the big concert and fireworks display at Waterfront Park. It was kind of like the Boston Pops, Trenton style. We wore red, white and blue and ate hot dogs and drank beer, waved little flags and sparklers and sang along with all the songs, and ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the fireworks. **

**I was sitting on the back steps watching the fire flies blinking at each other across the little backyard while Joe put the car in the garage. He slid the door shut and leaned back against the doorframe.**

"**You know what the fire flies are doing, don't you?" he asked.**

"**You mean when they blink?" I couldn't see him in the dark, but I knew he was watching me.**

"**They blink because they're looking for a mate." I could hear the smile in his voice.**

"**Really?" I looked back at the yard filled with little blinking bugs.**

"**The boy bug flashes a signal, hoping the girl bug sees it. And if the girl bug is attracted to him, she flashes back the same signal. He flies over to her and it's a love match."**

**I saw the lighter that Joe carried for the sparklers flame … once, twice, three times. **

**I laughed as I pulled my car keys out of my pocket and pressed the button on the tiny flash light that hung there. Three flashes back. **

"**No mixed signals, huh?" Joe asked as he crossed the yard to me.**

"**Nope, not a one." I put my arms around his neck and kissed him as he lifted me and carried me into the house and up the stairs to his bedroom. **

**The next couple of months flew by. I won't say that everything was perfect, but it was pretty damned good. When problems cropped up, Joe and I really did try to work on them. Some we solved, and some we just agreed to disagree, which in itself was something of a miracle.**

**By now everybody knew that we were seeing each other again, including our families. We both made it perfectly clear that if either side pressured us, we'd stop coming to dinner. Man, that worked like a charm! I think my mother had permanent perforations in her tongue from biting it all the time, but she never said a word. She did, however, always look like she was ready to vault the dining room table and bar the front door in case Joe made a run for it.**

**Angie Morelli just smiled and made small talk. One Sunday during dinner, though, Grandma Bella put her hand to her forehead and started moaning. **

"**I am having a vision," she told the family. "I can see you, Joey! Oh … God help us! It's awful …"**

**Joe froze, his wine glass half way to his mouth. "Grandma Bella," he warned.**

"**You can't deny the visions, Joseph!" she intoned dramatically, her gnarled hands clutching her heart.**

"**Joseph," she moaned. "I can see you and … THAT ONE …" She pointed a bony finger and glared at me. "I see you …."**

**Joe threw his napkin on the table, pushed back his chair and stood up. "Fine!" he announced. "You can see me and 'THAT ONE' leaving!" He grabbed me by the hand and hauled me out the door.**

**Angie caught up with us out on the stoop to tell us that Bella had the sudden need to go to her room and lie down. Happily, Bella never had another vision while Joe and I were around. **

**I stayed at RangeMan. Joe may not have been thrilled about it, but he knew that I was safer there than if I was out skip tracing by myself, so he didn't make a big deal out of it. He didn't even bitch about me going to Shorty's with the Merry Men on Friday nights. After all, he went out with his buddies and played poker and did all that guy stuff. Life settled into a nice routine and we were both pretty happy. **

**I looked at the clock again. I was due at my parents' for dinner at six sharp and I was already running late. Tank needed some background checks and I couldn't leave until they were done. I wouldn't have time to make it home to change. I'd have to remember to lock my gun and utility belt out of sight in my car so that Grandma Mazur couldn't get her hands on any of the equipment. We had an 'incident' last week when I came to dinner. She pulled my Sig out of my bag and put a bullet through the ceiling. It went up into the bathroom and shattered the toilet and my father almost had a heart attack. **

**Remember, it's a one bathroom house. Talk about a catastrophe! The upstairs flooded, my father threatened to move out, the neighbors called the cops, and the betting pools started all over again. Worst of all, my mother had to suffer terminal humiliation in front of the neighbors. Until the toilet got replaced, a bright orange Port-A-Potty sat in the backyard, like a glow-in-the-dark outhouse. Oh yeah, it was all my fault.**

**Shit, shit shit! I was so late. I slung my bag over my shoulder, picked up the stack of background checks for Tank and flew down the hall to his office. I pushed open the door to leave the files on his desk and somebody grabbed me. I know I screamed as the files slipped out of my hands, scattering all over the place. My bag hit the floor and I was shoved back against the closed office door. I tried to fight the guy, but he grabbed my hands and pinned them over my head as his mouth came down, hard and hot, on mine. **

**Oh, I knew this mouth, I thought, as all the fight went out of me and I melted into him. **

**Ranger was back in town. **

**Oh shit!**

**TBC …**

**A/N: Well Gentle Readers, waddaya think? Will there be trouble in paradise? What's Steph gonna do? Or should I say WHO? Will she stick with Joe, or … Tell me what you think is gonna happen next … How do you think Ranger will take her relationship with Morelli? BTW, according to JE's website, today is Ranger's birthday ... Happy Birthday, Batman!**


	4. Lost In Love!

What I Did For Love

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed.**_

_**Warning: Language, All 12 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, for putting up with my whining, and Christie, MagnificentSin, for ass kicking, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter. I really appreciate it … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And Thank You to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

**Chapter 4: ****Lost In Love!**

One of the hardest things in life is watching the person you love, love someone else

It took a minute for my brain to override my happy hormones and not to get lost in the sensations that Ranger sent rocketing through my body. He still had me pinned against the door, my hands stretched up over my head and his hard, hot body molded against me from chest to knees. Between his heat and his weight and his scent, I was engulfed in Ranger.

When he finally let my hands loose, my fingers instinctively clutched at his shirt, but I wasn't sure if it was to hold him to me or to push him away. I tried to turn my head but Ranger growled deep in his throat and threaded his hands into my hair to tip my head back so he could kiss me again, deeper, hungrier, more demanding this time.

And then my phone rang. Shit! It had to be my mother, I was late for dinner. I 'Mmmph-ed' against Ranger's mouth and reached down to grab the phone, but he was faster than I was. He snatched the cell off my belt and without even looking at it, shut it off and tossed it over his shoulder. I had no idea where it landed... I really didn't care either, because once Ranger's hands skimmed down my sides and cupped my ass, pulling me tighter against him, my mother was the very last thing on my mind!

Somewhere in the back of my head I knew I needed to stop this before it got out of hand, before my brain completely turned to sludge and I couldn't stop it. Or worse yet, I wouldn't _want _to stop it. I think I pushed against his chest, for all the good that did me. He finally took his mouth off mine only to go to work on my neck, the weakest spot in my personal jelly donut.

His tongue drew these little circles right where my neck met my shoulder. It was like being hypnotized. All I could focus on was the feel of his hot mouth on me, licking and sucking and sapping my self control, making me weak-kneed and dizzy. The throbbing evidence of how much he wanted me was pressed into my belly and the image of naked, rampant Ranger that was etched into my brain started playing on the inside of my eyelids. Somebody was making breathless little whimpering sounds. I'm pretty sure that somebody was me.

Ranger pulled back just far enough for me to see his eyes, glittering black, hooded, feral. I could see the raw animal in him and I shivered, caught in the eye of the tiger. I had only tasted that wild, abandoned side of him once … and God help me, I wanted it again.

His arm snaked around my waist and he bent so his other hand caught my leg behind my knee. He pulled me up on my toes so that we were groin to groin and I forgot how to breathe. He was right where I needed him to be, only the thin barrier of clothes separating us from what we both wanted. His lips drifted across my jaw to my mouth and, despite all my good intentions of putting a stop to this, every hormone I owned was chanting, "Just do it! Just do it!" waving their pom-poms and doing high kicks like a bunch of cheerleaders.

This was SO not the way I wanted Ranger's homecoming to go! Tearing our clothes off and having wild animal sex right there on the office floor or against the door or swinging from the light fixture was probably not a real good idea, especially since I needed to tell him about what was going on in my life. I had to do something to diffuse the situation FAST … before it got totally out of control and I really did jump him.

"Whe… when did you get back," I choked out, hoping that conversation would bring me back to sanity. I mean, if I had to think about the words, I couldn't think about what his mouth was doing to me, right?

"Two weeks ago. Let's go upstairs," he whispered before he bent his head to kiss me again while he pulled my shirt out of my pants.

All I could manage was an "Uhhnnnn." His hands were under the shirt now, and he was trying to unhook my bra. My eyes were rolled back in my head and there seemed to be a ten second delay between what my ears heard and what my brain processed.

"Wait … what? What did you say?" It was like he was speaking in tongues. My brain just couldn't translate what he was saying. I pushed at his hands, trying to make him stop.

"I said, 'Let's go upstairs and make up for lost time …'" He yanked up my t-shirt and sucked on my nipple, right through my lacy bra. My legs buckled and if my hands hadn't been fisted in his hair, holding him to me, I think I would have hit the floor.

"No, I … ahhhhh, that feels so good … I mean … b..before that…" I panted. I could feel the pull of his mouth on my breast all the way down to my toes while my poor brain still struggled to wrap itself around what he had said.

Ranger straightened and nuzzled the side of my face, his tongue flicking my ear lobe before he sucked it into his mouth. There was that whimpering again! His thumb tortured my nipple through the wet lace of my bra and I swear I could feel my brain shutting down. He was working on the other side of my neck, then pulled back a little to look down at me, "I _said _I got back two weeks ago." His deep, sexy laugh washed over me. "You know, I've been told that I cause stupor in women but …"

His words finally filtered through the haze … 'TWO WEEKS AGO!' my brain screamed at me. And just like that, all that lovely lusty fog vanished, replaced by… oh, let's call it anger. My eyes snapped open and I shook my head, trying to clear it. Oh yeah, I thought, Ranger caused stupor in women alright! Except in my case, Ranger was causing STUPID … in ME!

He had pulled me away from the door to open it, and now he was tugging on my arm, trying to get me out into the hall, to the elevator, I guess. I dug my heels in and held up my hand, index finger raised, in a 'wait a minute' gesture. "Hold it!" I said. "Let me get this straight!" I pulled away from him. A little distance was a good thing, I decided. "Did you just tell me you got back two weeks ago?"

"Yes, come on. We're wasting time," the man of few words replied and tried to pull me out of the office again. I yanked my arm back and moved farther away, putting his desk between us. Surprise registered on his face … okay, so his eyes widened microscopically.

"You've been here for TWO WEEKS?" I was flabbergasted.

"Not here, Miami. I needed a little R&R." Ranger stalked me around the desk and I held my hand out at arms length to stop him.

"You've been on R&R in Miami for TWO WEEKS?" I was beginning to sound like a parrot, repeating everything he said.

Ranger looked at me like I was demented, which I was by that point, I guess. "_What_ is your problem?" He demanded, warm, sexy Ranger quickly slipping away.

I must have looked at him like he had two heads, which he obviously did because he certainly wasn't thinking with the one on his shoulders. "What's MY prob…" I was speechless… almost. "YOU'RE the one with the problem! You're the one who disappeared. You were the one gone for months. And now you show up, out of the blue and expect me to hop into bed with you. YOU don't see a problem here?"

I'm pretty sure my voice raised an octave with each sentence and I knew my cheeks were flushed. My fists were firmly planted on my hips, my pulse was pounding in my ears, and, oh baby, I was ready for action. Just not Ranger's idea of action, if you know what I mean.

"I thought," Ranger said slowly, enunciating every word, "that we had an understanding!" He sounded like he was talking to a simpleminded six year old.

"An understanding?" I ground out through clenched teeth. "An understanding about what… exactly?"

"I thought you understood that I wasn't offering you anything more than before, and that you had accepted it."

I detected a condescending tone in his voice, the bastard. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Accepted what? Oh! You mean 'no strings sex whenever _you_ were in the mood'? 'Cause that's all you ever _offered_, Ranger!" I snorted. "And what … exactly, would I be getting out of that relationship?"

He arched an eyebrow at me. "Relationship? I thought I made it clear that my life doesn't lend itsel…"

I threw my hands up in surrender. "Oh please, spare me! I know your whole song and dance routine by heart! I took a step toward him and threw his words back at him. "'My life doesn't lend itself to relationships,' 'There are all kinds of love,' 'I try not to do anything stupid like marriage or pregnancy,' 'I can't be the base of your food pyramid.' What I _understand_ is that there wouldn't be any love or commitment or future … just sex. Have I got that right?"

He didn't respond and I couldn't help adding, "I thought so," and I started hunting around for my phone. "You really should set it to music, you know. You'd have a smash hit on your hands. An anthem for all you guys who are commitment phobic!"

"Stephanie, I told you that I wasn't emotionally distanced from you …"

I spun back on him. "Just what the hell does that mean anyway?" I shot back at him. "Is that the same as being emotionally attached? 'Cause I'm emotionally attached to Rex! Oh wait! Let me guess!" I dropped my voice, mimicking his, "There are all kinds of emotional attachments, Stephanie." I snorted in disgust. I found my phone on the sofa and turned it back on, clipping it back on my belt.

"This is ridiculous. You can't be this upset just because I didn't call you! You can't be that childish."

"You just don't get it, do you, you jerk!" I yelled. "You want childish?" I balled up my fist and punched him in the shoulder as hard as I could. His hand shot out and he grabbed my wrist. Probably so I couldn't smack him again.

A sharp rap on the door made us both turn to look. Tank didn't seem at all surprised to see Ranger, so he must have known that he was back in town. "Sorry to interrupt, guys. Steph, Morelli just called looking for you. He said you missed dinner and you weren't answering your phone. He wanted to make sure you were alright. I told him your car was still in the garage and I'd see if you were still here." He kept looking back and forth between Ranger and me, a little frown of concern on his face.

"Thanks Tank, I'll take care of it," I forced a smile for his benefit and Tank hesitated a second, then left, closing the door behind him.

Ranger dropped my hand and took a step back, that damned blank face of his slammed into place. Dark, sexy Ranger was gone. He folded his arms over his chest and eyed me with a dull, flat gaze.

"You're back with Morelli?" I could practically see the icicles dripping off his words.

"Yes." I nodded, meeting his stony look straight on. For some weird reason I felt like I needed to explain why to Ranger. "We decided to see what would happen if we both worked on a relationship." There was that word again, 'relationship'. I swear I thought I saw Ranger flinch. Good!

"It would have been nice to know," he said, his voice tinged with sarcasm. "This whole scene could have been avoided."

"Well, if you had called …" I shrugged. Probably I shouldn't have said that, but since I was being _childish_ … Take _that_, you asshole.

I could tell from how rigid his spine was that he was more than a little angry. Tough! He made his bed and now he could lie in it … alone! He turned and strode across the room and sat at his desk, turning on his laptop… dismissing me. "You've obviously made your choice."

I bent to pick up my purse, then turned back to him, confused. "Choice? What choice? What are you talking about?"

"The choice of who you wanted for a _fuck buddy_, of course," Ranger said without looking up from the computer. "No matter what you think, that's all Morelli ever was. Just don't expect me to say the better man won."

"Won? Was there a contest?" I snorted. "Don't give me that crap… that's all _you_ wanted, too! At least Joe bought me beer and pizza … you didn't even think I was worth a phone call," I snapped back at him.

"Hell, he got off pretty cheap. I would've been willing to pay more."

I gave him a snotty smile. "Well, I guess it was a good thing you didn't waste your money then, huh Ranger? Just an FYI, you were never a choice, you were never even a contender in my book and this whole little fiasco just proved once and for all why. You were the one who wanted a 'no strings' fuck buddy," I shrugged my shoulder, "and I want more than that. I'm _worth_ more than that. Maybe not to you, but to somebody and I'm going to find him."

"Prince Charming? Happy hunting," the son of a bitch chuckled.

"I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding somebody to assume the fuck buddy position," I snarked. "Start at dog training schools. That's where you'll find a bitch trained to roll over on her back and spread her legs when you snap your fingers!"

I grabbed my purse off the floor, slung it over my shoulder and opened the door.

"Have fun kissing all those frogs!" he growled.

"Don't let the bitches hump your leg!" I snarled.

I stomped out of the office and slammed the door so hard I think the whole building shook! I got halfway down the hall when something else hit me and I spun around and stormed back. I turned the door knob and kicked the office door open so hard that the knob embedded itself in the wall behind the door. Ranger never even looked up.

"By the way," I announced, "I quit!" And I turned to leave again.

The rat bastard still didn't look at me. "You can't quit!" he said calmly.

"Give me one good reason why not!" I demanded.

"Your contract with RangeMan!" He cut his eyes to me.

"So sue me!" I snapped.

"Don't think I won't!" he growled.

"Fine!" I snapped to attention and saluted him … with my middle finger. He wasn't looking at me, but I'm pretty sure he caught it in his peripheral vision. I got a tiny moment of satisfaction as I watched the muscle in his jaw clench.

I did an about face and marched to the elevator. By the time I squealed out of the garage, my eye was twitching up a storm, I had called Ranger every name in the book, and I needed new tires… I had left half the tread on the exit ramp.

I sat at a traffic light and took a deep breath. I had survived the eye of the tiger; it was time to beard the lion in its den. I called my mother. I apologized for missing dinner, the equivalent of a mortal sin in the Burg, and for not calling, which was only a venial sin. I only received absolution when I accepted my penance … dinner on Sunday. So I was going to hell anyway. I wanted to beat my head on the steering wheel. It meant I had to put up with the whole Plum-Kloughn family circus… galloping horse, screaming baby, Albert. I kept thinking that this was the life my mother wanted for me … so I would be _happy_. I think I may have to run away and join the circus!

Joe and I were supposed to go to the movies that night and I gave him a quick call that went straight to his voice mail. I pulled into my parking lot and took my usual spot beside the dumpster, very aromatic at this time of year, and spotted Joe's SUV parked up by the back door. Joe wasn't in it, so I guessed that he was upstairs.

I pulled down the vanity mirror and checked out how I looked. My cheeks were still a little flushed, and my lips were a little swollen, but there was no real evidence of my run in with Ranger in his office. I threw on a little lip gloss, fluffed my hair and plastered a smile on my face and I was good to go.

I had no intention of lying to Joe, but I sure wasn't going to rub his nose in what happened between Ranger and me either. My working for and with Ranger had always been a sore spot with Joe. Things were going so good between us that I couldn't see any reason to open up that particular can of worms. Plus, this was something that I had to take care of myself.

Once I figured out how to handle the situation, maybe then I'd tell Joe about it … after the fact. Or not. I mean, how do word something like that? 'Hey Joe, while you were gone, I got horny and so did Ranger and I knew he wasn't offering anything but sex so we fucked like bunnies for a whole weekend and then he disappeared and you came back and we decided to really give it a try and then Ranger showed up and jumped me because he thought I was sitting and waiting for him, which I wasn't because I was with you, but don't worry because I took care of it and it won't happen again so it isn't an issue. Just thought you should know.' Hmmmmmmm, probably not.

I hopped out of the car and swung across the parking lot, up the stairs and down the hall to my apartment. Joe opened the door for me before I had a chance to put my key in the lock. "Hey," I said as I brushed a quick kiss across his lips, "I'm sorry that my mother went nuts and called you."

Joe chuckled and gave me a hug. "She told me that she was sure something horrible had happened to you because you would never willingly miss pineapple upside down cake. I swung by and picked up your leftovers." He motioned toward the kitchen where a large brown paper grocery bag sat on the counter.

"Thanks! I'm starving! I worked out in the gym instead of eating lunch today… saving room for the cake!" I said as I dug through the bag. "There's enough for a small army here. You gonna join me?"

"Sure, I'm gonna have to go back to the office to finish up a couple of reports, though." Joe eyed the goodies I pulled out of the bag. "I'll have to take a rain check on the movies."

He didn't have to tell me that he left the station early because of my mother's panicked phone call. "I'm sorry," I said again. "I was already running late for dinner. I had to finish some background checks for Tank, more new hires, business is booming," I told him while I handed him plates and silverware. "Then just as I was leaving, Ranger showed up."

Joe reached past me to get some napkins, "Well, that explains why you smell like him again." I turned my head and sniffed my shoulder. Oh swell! Just what I needed … I smelled like Ranger alright. I quickly shoved a plate into the microwave hoping that the smell of the meatloaf would mask the Bulgari.

"Did he say where he was this time?" Joe asked, his voice conversational.

"I don't think even Tank knew where he was. None of them ever talk about the military type assignments or missions, it's all 'Top Secret' and hush-hush. Ranger did say that he took two weeks R&R in Miami, though." I handed Joe the meatloaf while I nuked the mashed potatoes and green beans with almonds.

"Must be nice," he grumbled. "You want a Pepsi or beer?" he asked, his head in the fridge.

I put the veggies on the table, "Ta-da! A lovely home cooked meal," I quipped as we sat down at the table. We chatted between mouthfuls until both our plates were clean.

Joe pushed his empty plate away and folded his arms on the edge of the table. "You been reading the paper lately?" he asked.

"You mean like the News? Nunh-unh. You know I stick with fashion and the comics. Why?" There was something in his voice that caught my attention.

He took in a deep breath. "There was a small article on a back page today and I didn't know if you saw it. I didn't want to say anything until I was sure that it was really going to happen, but it looks like there's going to be a new investigation into Eddie Abruzzi's death."

It was a good thing that Joe had waited until after I ate to tell me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to swallow a bite. As it was, I wasn't sure that I could keep down what I had eaten; my stomach started rolling at the mention of Abruzzi's name. The image of Abruzzi's crazed eyes and evil smile loomed up in front of me and suddenly I felt very cold. Without realizing it, my hand covered the burn scar that I still had on my arm.

"Why? I mean, I thought they decided he committed suicide. They found a note and everything. Can they do that? Can the cops just reopen a closed case? Why would they?" I knew I was babbling, but I never expected the Abruzzi mess to rear its ugly head and come back to bite me in the ass. I thought it was one more awful memory that I could bury in deep in denial.

It wasn't until Joe reached across the little table and took my hands in his that I realized I was shaking. "Steph, there isn't anything to worry about. As far as I can tell, it's all about his life insurance. His wife and brother want to collect. It was a huge policy, millions in fact, and life insurance doesn't pay off on a suicide."

"But how? You don't just go and tell the police to… "

Joe went to the fridge and got me another beer. I gulped down half of it, not that it helped my stomach any. "Abruzzi was Family, and the Family still has some pretty powerful connections here in Jersey. You know as well as I do that there are a lot of politicians who still jump when their strings are pulled. All I can figure is that the Abruzzis went to the Family, who put pressure on the local politicos. They probably leaned on the DA's office."

Even though Joe and I never talked about it, we both knew how Abruzzi had died, and it wasn't suicide. I swallowed the bile that burned my throat. "What about Ranger?"

Joe held up his hands to stop me from saying anything else. "Do _not _go there! You don't have to worry about Ranger. There was no evidence that Abruzzi's death was anything but a suicide. It was never investigated as anything else and I don't know why that would change now."

The really didn't reassure me any, but Joe told me not to worry and the he'd keep me up to date on the investigation, rumors and all. He took a pass on the pineapple upside down cake … so did I for that matter, which should tell you a lot about the state I was in.

An hour ago I was so pissed off at Ranger I wanted to punch him in the face, but that man had killed for me. Ranger didn't off Abruzzi because of what he had done to me, because he kidnapped and tortured me. Ranger removed Abruzzi so that he couldn't ever hurt me again, so that he wouldn't be able to haunt me, my life or my dreams.

'There's no price to what we give each other,' Ranger had said. I couldn't let this cost him the rest of his life in prison. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very peacefully that night.

There was a definite chill in the air when I got to RangeMan the next morning, and I'm not talking about the weather. The normal chatter in the Control Room was gone, the Merry Men talked in hushed tones, when they spoke at all. Gone was the joking and laughter, suddenly it was all business. My RangeMan contract prevented me from quitting, so I was stuck here, but it looked like this unhappy employee was gonna have a lot of company. And if I could make Ranger unhappy, so much the better.

Ram came into my cubby with some search requests and whispered a warning that I should fly under the radar because Ranger was on the war path, his words, not mine. If anybody suspected that I was the cause of His Hind-ass's displeasure, they didn't let on. And Ranger had the nerve to call _me_ childish!

All morning Ranger and I steered clear of each other with a vengeance. If one of us was on the elevator, the other one didn't get on. If one was in the break room, the other turned around and walked out. We didn't speak to each other, hell, we didn't even look at each other, and don't think for a minute that the Merry Men didn't notice. We met at the copy machine and the MM were betting on whether we were going to arm wrestle over it or play rock, paper, scissors. I did a mental eye roll and wondered if Ranger would realize that he was providing as much entertainment as I usually did.

At lunch time I went into the break room and found Tank and Hector rummaging through the fridge, probably looking for something more substantial than the bean sprouts and low fat yogurt that had mysteriously replaced the leftover meatball subs from Pino's. Ranger was back in town! I peeked around from behind them, "Wow! Slim pickings, huh?"

"No joke, Chica," Hector held up the bean sprouts. "This is for fashion models, not manly men like us, eh Tank? There are gonna be a lot of grumbling stomachs this afternoon."

Tank and I exchanged a quick glance and I stifled a laugh at Hector putting himself in the same category as Tank. Despite his rep as a stone cold killer, five foot six, a hundred and forty pound Hector definitely fit the fashion model category better. Of course, neither one of us had the guts to say that out loud.

"Carrot sticks! Not just stomachs that are gonna be grumbling. Rabbit food!" Tank said in disgust. "The troops will _not_ be happy!"

"Well come on then, guys! I'll treat you to lunch at the deli around the corner. I'm starving and I need to talk to you … privately." Tank cocked an eyebrow at me, but didn't say anything until we were all sitting in the deli, stuffing our faces with corned beef slathered with spicy brown mustard on crusty rye bread, mountains of homemade potato salad, and dill pickles that made your mouth water.

"So," Tank said, wiping his mouth with his napkin and leaning back in his chair with a grin, "what's up?"

I'm pretty sure that he expected me to bring up the little tiff that Ranger and I had had the day before. After all, Tank knew that we had spent that weekend before Ranger went 'in the wind' together and had obviously put two and two together yesterday. No matter what, though, Tank always had Ranger's back, and right now, Ranger's back needed watching.

Hector was as devoted to Ranger and I had no doubt that both men would kill in a heartbeat to protect him. But Hector had been with Ranger the night that Abruzzi had died, and he needed warning too. Even if he never raised his hand to Abruzzi, Hector could go down for aiding and abetting a murder. I couldn't let that happen either.

I polished off my bottle of cream soda and leaned across the table a little, lowering my voice. "I came by some information last night that Ranger, and you," I nodded toward Hector, "need to know. I'm not in a position to tell Ranger myself, and I don't think he'd listen to me if even if I was. If it comes from you two, I'm hoping he'll take it seriously."

Tank cut a look at Hector and they both leaned forward expectantly, their smiles gone. I took a deep breath, "I don't have a lot of details, but I found out that the DA's office is going to reopen the Abruzzi case. There's going to be a new investigation and they're gonna be looking for a different cause of death. The information came from inside sources." They both knew I was talking about Morelli.

Hector sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, and Tank drummed his fingers on the table top. Neither man looked happy. "Anything else?"

"Just that Abruzzi's family pressed to have the case reopened so they could collect his life insurance. It's supposed to be pretty hefty." I spread out my hands, palms up. "That's all I've got, but I'll let you know if I find out anything else."

"Don't worry, Stephanie," Hector reassured me, "we'll take care of Ranger." All I could do was nod.

Even though I had said it was my treat, we argued good naturedly over who would pay the bill. When we got out of the elevator on the fifth floor, both Hector and Tank hugged me and planted a kiss on my cheek before they went off to their separate duties. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Ranger watching the interchange from the control room. As much as I wanted to stick my tongue out at him, I chose the higher road and blatantly ignored him, tipping my nose up and slipping into the bathroom instead.

I took care of business and freshened my makeup. Feeling very noble that Hector and Ranger had been warned, I sailed back through the control room to my cubby, precisely one hour after I had left it.

There was only one little problem. My cubby was gone… walls, desk, computer, printer, file cabinets, chair … missing. All of it. There wasn't even any evidence that it had ever been there. I felt like I had walked into the Twilight Zone and I swear I could even hear that creepy music playing in my head.

Woody, Ram, and Junior were sitting like robots in front of the monitors, staring straight ahead at the screens. Not one of them turned their head so much as an inch to look at me, even when I said, "Guys …?" I got nothing, no response. Bobby opened the door and came into the room, clearly annoyed. When he saw me standing there with my mouth hanging open, he put an arm around my shoulders. "I don't know what's going on Steph, but Ranger would like to see you in his office right away." I murmured "Okay" and with one last look behind me at the empty space, went down the hall to Ranger's office.

By the time I was standing in front of Ranger's office door, my head had cleared. Amazing what a healthy dose of anger will do for you, isn't it? I straightened my shoulders and knocked, waited, and knocked again. He knew damned good and well that it was me knocking on his door, and the louse enjoyed making me wait.

Finally, just as I was turning away, he called, "Come!" Now, Ranger always said, "Come in." I had to wonder if he would say, "Sit!" or "Stay!" when I got inside. I certainly didn't appreciate having commands shouted at me like I was some kind of trained circus poodle, but two could play at this game. I carefully schooled my face to a totally neutral expression before I walked in the door.

Ranger was tipped back in his chair, half turned away from me, talking on the phone, totally ignoring me. I purposely didn't sit in one of the guest chairs, and I certainly wasn't gonna stand at parade rest like the Merry Men did when they came into Ranger's inner sanctum. If Ranger thought he was going to make me uncomfortable, he was SO wrong. I reached into my purse, pulled out an emery board, stuck out a hip, and started filing my nails. That lasted about thirty seconds before he hung up and turned to me.

"You may have noticed that your work station is no longer in the control room," he said rather formally.

I looked up from my nail and nodded, "I noticed."

"The research that you do for RangeMan is highly confidential. It has come to my attention that your conversations can be overheard, and your computer screen can be viewed by anyone in the control room. There are federal privacy laws to be taken into consideration and this issue should not have been overlooked for so long. As a result, you work station has been moved to a more secure location in the northwest corner of the fifth floor. Do you have a problem with this move?"

I bit my tongue to keep from calling him a jerk again. I shrugged and shook my head, "Nope. You're the boss!" Who knew that 'boss' was a four letter word?

He gave me a single nod and waved his hand toward the door. "Dismissed!" I did roll my eyes at that one.

My cubby was now located in the RangeMan equivalent of one of those third world countries that everybody was afraid of being sent to. The northwest corner of the fifth floor had once been the janitor's closet and I snorted when I saw the little 'Research Department' plaque that adorned the door. The mops and buckets may have been gone, but the place still reeked from PineSol and nasty bathroom deodorizer. Plus, it was over the river and through the woods to the ladies' room and break room.

On the desk in front of the computer was a list of new rules to be implemented in order to insure confidentiality. They included keeping the door closed and locked at all times, even when I was inside, no visitors would be allowed into the room, and I had to lock the work station whenever I left, even if it was only for a minute. If Ranger had paid somebody to think up a way to make boring research more of a pain in the ass, he couldn't have done a better job.

On my way to the elevator that night, I passed Ranger in the hall. "Are there any problems with the new set up or the rules for the research department?"

I plastered a smile on my face and turned to face him, "Not a one, Boss." I think he was disappointed. Too bad.

Ranger furrowed his brow and sniffed the air. "What _is_ that smell?" We both knew full well it was the scent from my new 'office' that clung to everything I owned now.

"Gosh, I don't know, Boss. Hostile work environment?" I gave him a little finger wave as the elevator doors closed on me.

Over the next couple of days, I brought in a vanilla plug in room deodorizer, a little 2 cup coffee pot, and a big stash of goodies. Once I rearranged the furniture, I figured probably I could fit a mini-fridge in there, too. When Joe said he thought he smelled pine trees when I stopped by his house, I started adding an extra spritz or two of Dolce Vita to my morning routine. Ranger was SO not gonna make me walk out on my contract.

When I turned on my computer a few days later, I got a pop-up from the HR department, a friendly little bullshit reminder informing the employees that all of the rules and regulations would be enforced from now on. The important stuff was always followed religiously, like weapons safety and training, uniforms and take down policies. But this was piddly shit like no food or drink outside the break room, no perfumes or colognes were allowed, no jewelry except a wristwatch, hair longer than collar length had to be worn in a pony tail, no personal items on desks or work areas, no cosmetics, no PDAs. And above all, no one was to call Ranger, 'Boss.' Extra shifts and fines would be the penalties for infractions, and too many infractions would result in termination.

Humph! Maybe I could get myself fired? Naaaah! I couldn't give him the satisfaction. Dammit!

Well, there went all the comforts of home. But on the upside, it made getting ready for work easier and I got to sleep in an extra thirty minutes since now I didn't have to worry about hair and makeup. See? I can find a silver lining …! According to the RangeMan grapevine, I was the only employee who didn't have a problem with the Boss's new rules. Shoot! I wasn't supposed to call him Boss anymore, was I? I just hoped that I'd be around long enough to see the mutiny. Snort! If they only knew that I was counting the days until my contract was up.

A week later I got a memo that I would no longer be included in staff meetings. "Did I have a problem with that?" "No, Boss! Oops, sorry." Then it was that I'd no longer be allowed to work the monitors during lunch and dinner breaks. "No problem with that either, Boss. Gosh! Did it again!" The week after that I came up on the roster for skip tracing. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to be getting out of the building and away from Ranger. I was just about to step onto the elevator with Binkie when I was summoned to Ranger's office. You got it in one, no more skip tracing for me!

"Research is vital to RangeMan and I don't feel that you can spare the time to work out on the street. I hope that you don't have a problem with this new arrangement," Ranger asked with a smirk.

"Whatever you say, Boss. You're the Boss! Oh!" I smacked my forehead with the heel of my hand. "Why can't I remember not to call you Boss?" I replied with an embarrassed smile. I thought I saw a flash of anger cross his face and I wanted to do a happy dance. I turned to leave and had my hand on the doorknob when Ranger asked, "When did you start calling me 'Boss'?" His voice sounded so tired.

I didn't turn around, just took a deep breath and leaned my forehead against the cool wood of the door. "When you stopped calling me 'Babe'." I managed to whisper without my voice cracking. I missed my friend.

I felt rather than heard him stand and walk over to me. I know that he reached out his hand but before he could touch me, I said, "Don't!" and he pulled it back.

"Babe, I …" he started.

"Don't say it. Whatever it is, don't say it." I still didn't turn around. "Last night, Joe asked me to marry him. I haven't given him an answer. It isn't as easy as either of us thought it would be. But I'm going to move in with him and we're really going to try and see if we can make it work. I just thought you should know."

I felt him step so close he brushed against my back. He slipped one hand around my waist and threaded the other through my hair, pulling my head back so he could kiss me, hard and hungry. "You won't forget me," he ground out. "You'll feel my hands on you, feel me move inside of you. You'll want that again!" He kissed me again, almost brutally, then stepped back from me.

"Good-bye, Ranger," and I fled, home to Joe.

On Saturday I moved into Morelli's house.

On Sunday, Ranger moved to Miami.

TBC…

A/N: So, what kind of trouble is the new Abruzzi investigation going to cause? And for who …Steph? Ranger? Joe? Hector? Do you think that the cops will come after Ranger? Will Steph try to save him? Or could it be Steph they go after? And will Steph say yes to Joe?? OMG! Let me know what you think will happen next!


	5. To Know Me Is To Love Me!

Chapter 5:

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed.**_

_**Warning: Language, All 12 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, for putting up with my whining, and Christie, MagnificentSin, for ass kicking, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter. I really appreciate it … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And Thank You to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

Chapter 5: To Know Me Is To Love Me!

Love creates an "us" without destroying a "me."  
--Unknown

I'm telling ya, it was like magic! The minute Ranger left for Miami, sanity returned to RangeMan. All the guys had been holding their breaths, just waiting for the next Ranger explosion and I swear the whole building breathed a collective sigh of relief the minute that man got on the plane.

I mean, everybody knew that Ranger didn't run his company by instilling fear into his employees. He didn't have to. He set high standards and expected his employees to meet them. But he'd always led by example and never asked anybody to do anything he wasn't ready to do himself. He made the company a success by treating everybody fairly, making sure that his employees were well trained and well paid, and all that inspired loyalty. So maybe he did run a tight ship, big deal! The thing was, Ranger was always even tempered and calm. That's why the new, UN-improved, moody Ranger was a real difficult pill for us all to swallow.

Before he left, all the Merry Men had been jumpy, looking over their shoulders all the time, like they expected Ranger to be lurking around every corner, ready to pounce. Just about every guy got ordered to meet Ranger down on the mat in the gym for one stupid infraction or another, like having Big Mac breath or 5 o'clock shadow on their shaved heads. And it seemed that every day somebody was sporting a new bruise or a bandage or a limp, Ranger included.

For weeks, nobody was able to do anything right and I gotta tell ya, watching all those great big ex-military type RangeMen tip-toe around so they wouldn't accidentally incur 'The Wrath of Ranger,' as we started calling it, actually was pretty funny. For me, of course. Not so much for any of them. But then, Ranger wasn't calling me down on the mat.

The news of Ranger's bizarre change in temperament spread around town at supersonic speed. The skips that he hauled in didn't fare much better than the Merry Men had, and a lot of them even made fun little side trips to St. Francis' ER before the criminal element in Trenton wised up and started turning themselves in, in record numbers. They were so eager to avoid Ranger that they practically ran into the police station all by themselves.

Vinnie, the cockroach, kept his office door locked all the time, just so that Ranger couldn't walk in and surprise him. Ranger in a good mood used to make Vinnie wet his pants, now he could probably make Vinnie stroke out. Not necessarily a bad thing. More than once the big chicken shit snuck out the back door leaving Connie to deal with Ranger. Of course Connie feared nobody and no thing, so she held her own just fine, thankyouverymuch!

The weirdest thing, though, was that Ranger wouldn't let me out of my RangeMan contract. If he thought that would piss me off, it did … royally. But he was the one who got the worst of _that_ deal. I decided right away that if he was gonna play some stupid game, making up all those idiotic rules, then hell, I could beat him at _that_ game. Ranger may have been in the military, Special Forces, a trained killer and all that, but _**I**_ had a lot more experience with good old fashioned revenge than he did. After all, I was a Jersey Girl and we learn about the importance of revenge in the womb. Nobody screws with a Jersey Girl and gets away with it… it's a matter of honor!

Ranger thought he could banish me to that no man's land of a janitor's closet, did he? HA! I made absolutely sure he saw me every single time he got off the elevator or stepped out of his office. I was constantly in his face. I always smiled and acted like everything was just hunky-dory while I broke each and every one of his dopey rules! No makeup or perfume? Yeah, right! The whole fifth floor smelled like Dolce Vita. No food outside the break room? Sure thing! That wasn't gum I was chewing. Nobody was allowed to call him 'Boss'? 'Boss' became my new favorite four letter word!

The best part was that I got away with it all!! Now he couldn't let me out of my contract without losing the 'game,' and he really couldn't fire me either because that would have given me what I wanted …an out. So, he was stuck with me, and it was all his own doing. Snort! It was the perfect revenge, making the most self-controlled man in the universe lose his cool. Let's face it, he acted like a jerk and he deserved everything he got! And I'm not ashamed to admit that I had a _great_ time driving Ranger nuts. I just hadn't expected to drive him all the way to Miami!

Anyway, once Ranger left, Tank was back in charge again. I went into work that Monday and found that my cubby had magically reappeared in the control room and there was a Starbuck's el grande mochachino and two Boston Crème donuts sitting on my desk. I was scheduled to go out and pick up skips with Junior, and cover the monitors for the guys who took early lunch, and was back on the list for all the memos and meetings. The bean sprouts and fava beans and non-fat yogurt in the break room fridge disappeared, replaced by roast beef on rye and potato chips and Ella's brownies. RangeMan had returned from The Twilight Zone.

Needless to say, I never talked to Joe about my problems with Ranger. I really didn't have to. All the cops talked about the change in Ranger's normally cool and calm demeanor, but they blamed it on leftover stress from the mission he had been on, like post traumatic stress or something. Nobody realized that it was more like post traumatic _Stephanie_ stress that sent him over the edge. When Joe asked me about it, I didn't outright lie; I just didn't tell him the whole truth. I told him all about the 'Ranger, the Psycho Boss' thing and just kinda forgot to mention the 'Ranger and I had sheet shredding, wild animal sex for an entire weekend and he wanted more' thing.

I mean, what good would it have done to get Joe all upset? We had gone our separate ways a long time before Ranger and I ever got together and I knew that Joe wasn't celibate all that time. I sure as hell didn't want to know anything at all about whoever he had slept with. And really, what difference did it make now? Ranger was in Miami and I was in Joe's bed, nothing else really mattered. Right?

So life at RangeMan and at home sort of drifted into a nice, easy routine for me. I went to work every day to a job I loved, and I came home every night to a man I loved. It doesn't get any better than that. On the weekends Joe and I worked on the house, turning it from Aunt Rose's house and/or Joe's bachelor pad, into our home. We painted the kitchen and hung new curtains and my brown bear cookie jar had a place of honor on the counter. We invested in a new washer and dryer for the basement, and a cleaning lady who came in every two weeks to make sure the windows were kept up to Burg standards. Our families were ecstatic and I was beginning to think that maybe this marriage thing wasn't such a bad idea after all. Guess I shoulda known it was too good to last, huh?

You know that old saying, ignorance is bliss? Well, we didn't know it at the time, but while Joe and I were arguing over whether we should paint the living room Buttered Toast or Mushroom Soufflé, The State of New Jersey was busy planning to burst our happy bubble!

It never failed that I always ran late when we had something to do, and that night it was dinner with Joe's mother. Joe wasn't home yet when I flew in the door from work, so I snapped Bob's leash onto his collar and dragged him around the block as fast as I could. Normally I would just go to his Mom's in my RangeMan uniform, but Tank had sent me along on a takedown today and I wound up all hot and sweaty from rolling around on the floor with a female skip. Silly me, I thought those days were over. I was in desperate need of a long, hot bath, but all I had time for was a quick shower.

I left a trail of dirty clothes on my way to the bathroom and I had just finished lathering up my hair when I heard Joe open the door. "I'll be out in a minute and then the bathroom's all yours," I told him. If he got in the tub with me, we wouldn't have just been late for dinner; probably we wouldn't have made it out of the house at all. Try explaining _that_ to his mother!

"Take your time, there's no rush, Steph. I canceled dinner at my Mom's." His voice sounded tired and strained.

"Wait! You what? You never cancel!" I pulled back the shower curtain and stuck my soapy head out. "What's the matter?"

Joe was leaning against the doorway, his hands jammed into his pockets, looking as tired and stressed as he sounded. "I need to talk to you. Take your time and finish up. I'll wait for you down in the kitchen." I stood there dripping soap suds on the floor while he turned and walked back down the hall.

My first thought was that Joe had caught a really bad case, or worse, was being sent off on assignment again. My heart dropped down into my stomach and I scrambled to rinse off, dry off, and drag on shorts and a t-shirt. Granted, Joe and I had done a lot of talking lately, but the expression on his face told me that this wasn't the kind of talk that was gonna wind up with us hot and sweaty and tangled in the sheets.

My hair was still wrapped in a towel when I skidded into the kitchen and found Joe leaning against the counter, studying the beer in his hand. He pulled a couple more out of the fridge and handed me one before he turned and sat at the kitchen table. He looked so serious I had a gut feeling that I was gonna need a lot more than one beer to get through this talk.

Joe raised his beer and took a long pull before he set the bottle down and folded his arms on the table. "Look Steph, I know how you feel about secrets and you're probably gonna be mad that I didn't tell you this sooner. So I guess I should apologize for that. My only excuse is that I wanted to make absolutely sure my information was correct before I said anything at all," he said matter-of-factly.

Now I was sure he was going on assignment someplace and had waited until the last minute to say anything to me. Probably Las Vegas with some hoochie mama undercover female cop! I gotta tell ya, I hate surprises with a passion. When I was a kid, I'd scour the house, hunting down every Christmas and birthday present and my parents had to get really creative to hide stuff from me. The thought that somebody had a secret just about drove me nuts and I would nag and beg and wheedle until they finally broke down and told me whatever it was, just so I'd shut up and leave them alone.

Hearing Joe confess that he'd been purposely keeping something hidden from me, when he _knew _how I felt about secrets, made me want to reach across the table and grab him by the throat and strangle him. The only problem with that was it'd delay him telling me what the hell was happening!

I slugged down half my beer and took a deep, steadying breath. I mean, I could act like a grown up, right? "Okay then, I guess it's about time you tell me what's going on, huh?" I was trying to be mature and calm here, but even I could hear the snotty tone in my own voice.

When he finally looked at me, I could see exactly how worried he was and all my irritation faded away. I guess that was when I realized just how serious this was. More serious, I was afraid, than I was equipped to handle and that made my heart stutter in my chest. I reached my hand across the table to him, but for whose comfort, his or mine, I wasn't sure. He wrapped his hand around my fingers and ran his thumb soothingly over my knuckles.

He hesitated, like he was choosing his words very carefully. "Remember when I told you that the Abruzzi case might be reopened?" he asked softly.

Of all the things I expected him to say, this sure wasn't one of 'em. "Yeah, but that was months ago and you never said anything else about it. I thought it was dropped." My heart went from my stomach to my throat. I couldn't believe that this had come back to haunt us… again!

Joe just shook his head 'no' and blew out a deep breath. He held my hand tighter. "Word got out on the street that Abruzzi's widow was gonna hire some fancy medical examiner to come in from California to perform a new autopsy. I can't remember the guy's name, but you know who I mean. He's the one who made a fortune testifying at all those high profile celebrity trials."

"Okay." I knew there was more to it. "_And_ …" I choked out and looked at Joe expectantly.

"_And _it's common knowledge that his findings are generally slanted toward whichever side is paying him to testify. The Abruzzi family has ten million dollars worth of life insurance on the line, so it's a pretty sure bet what kind of new findings there will be."

He sat and watched me digest the information and I'm sure he could see the wheels turning in my head. I gulped down the rest of my beer and waited for him to go on. If Joe was this worried, there had to be a lot more to the story. "Ten million! Wow, that'd buy a lot of testimony!"

"No shit!" He tossed his empty bottle in the trash can. "Anyway, the bad news is that the Attorney General's office got wind of all this. Some big wig there decided that the State Medical Examiner should perform a new autopsy to confirm the original findings, before the Abruzzis' ME even got into town. That way, if the state's guy found anything hinkey, the AG's office could launch a full scale investigation and say that it was their idea all along."

I barked a laugh. "The most important rule politicians have! Cover your own ass first." I jumped up and dragged the towel off my hair, running my fingers through the tangles. I got a couple more beers out of the fridge.

Joe snorted. "It's an election year. What do you expect?"

I plunked the bottles down on the table but didn't sit. My nerves were jumping and I needed to keep moving so I paced the kitchen instead. "Why didn't they just have the Trenton ME do another autopsy? Why go over his head?"

"Oh, come on, Steph." Joe leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. "They need a scapegoat, somebody to blame a screw up on, and he's the obvious choice. The state will soft pedal it … say they know how overworked and underpaid the entire criminal justice system in Trenton is. They'll say that the department is short staffed, things were overlooked because the manner of death appeared to be so straight forward, blame it on budget cuts, use it as an excuse to raise taxes…"

I cut him off. "So when is all this shit supposed to hit the fan anyway? When are they digging up the son of a bitch?" I demanded.

Joe stood up and came around the table to put his hands on my shoulders. "Abruzzi's body was exhumed and taken to the State ME ten days ago. The autopsy was given a high priority status and all the results are back already."

"What? Why the hell didn't you tell me?" I practically screeched at him while I tried to push him away.

"Because it was only a rumor. It was just gossip floating around the station … nobody really knew anything for sure. And I didn't want you all upset over something that I didn't know was true. I couldn't get anything confirmed. The state cops are running the show, not the local guys. The AG's investigators never share anything if they don't have to, and they always play their cards real close to the vest. I swear, we didn't know a thing until this morning."

I glared at Joe. "So what happened today that all of a sudden you decided to tell me?"

Joe tightened his grip on my shoulders before he continued. "The State ME issued a new cause of death." He took a deep breath. "He's calling it murder."

I was looking at Joe and little black dots danced across his face. Bells clanged in my head and the kitchen floor started to tilt. He sat me down in a chair and pushed my head down between my knees. "Deep breaths, Steph, take deep breaths." He kept his hand on my back, rubbing soothing circles, massaging my neck gently. I worked really hard to concentrate on his voice and to keep myself from pitching forward onto the floor.

Eventually the dots danced away, the noise in my head faded, and the floor stopped moving. I was able to sit up and look at Joe who was squatted down in front of me. "So how soon does the investigation start?" My head was aching and suddenly I was so tired. I just wanted it all to go away.

Joe stood and pulled me to my feet, wrapping his arms around me. I settled my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes. He planted a kiss on my still damp hair. "Let's not worry about this crap anymore tonight, Cupcake. You go get dressed and we'll go out to dinner or the movies or someplace where we don't have to think about any of this stuff."

I knew he was trying to take my mind off this mess, to distract me, and I leaned back and looked at him. "Please Joe, just tell me what you know and get it over with. I don't want to have to wonder about what's going to happen next." I drew an unsteady breath. "I honestly don't think I can take any more surprises."

He blew out another deep breath, "Okay, okay. You know Karen, right? She works in records?" I nodded at him. I went to high school with Karen. "She told me that the state investigators came in with a warrant and took all the records the department had on Abruzzi. That was a couple of days ago." He ran his hands up and down my arms. "This morning they came back looking for anything with your name on it. Apparently they're investigating your connection with Abruzzi, Steph, and they'll probably be calling you in for questioning."

"Me?" I was staggered. "Oh My God! I'm a suspect? They think I killed him?"

Suddenly the room had no air in it and I couldn't breathe. I pulled away from Joe and blindly threw open the kitchen door, stumbling outside and sank down on the back steps. My brain was racing a mile a minute. I remembered the fear and pain of what Val and I went through because of Abruzzi. I automatically rubbed the scar on my arm, where he had burned me. I thought about Hector and Ranger and what had been done to keep me safe. I remembered the relief I felt back then, when I heard that Abruzzi was dead, no remorse, just relief.

I had been drowning in guilt at the thought of the trouble this investigation could cause for all the people I cared about. I never once thought that _I _could be in trouble. It wasn't even a matter of denial; it just never occurred to me that I would be involved. And I didn't know how to handle it now that I was!

Joe came out on the steps and sat behind me so that I was between his legs. He leaned forward and kissed the top of my head while he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me back against him. "Steph," he said with a chuckle, "I sincerely doubt that you're a suspect. You know how an investigation runs. You know that they're going to look at everybody who ever had any contact at all with Abruzzi, from his mother all the way down to the kid who delivers his newspaper and everybody in between."

Well sure, I watched television … all the 'CSIs' and 'Law and Orders' and 'Cold Case' and 'Psychic Detectives'; I knew how the cops ran a homicide investigation. That didn't mean my stomach wasn't rolling at the idea that somebody thought I could hold a gun to a man's head and pull the trigger… even if that man was the Devil Incarnate. Even if he was beyond crazy, and was hunting down a mother and child like animals, and had threatened to rip my beating heart right out of my chest.

I mean, I knew all about circumstantial evidence. Once they found out about Mabel Markowitz, and the snakes and spiders, and Soder's body on my couch, my blown up car, Val and me being kidnapped and me being tortured … of course, I'd be the logical suspect.

"Do you think I need a lawyer?" I asked Joe, my voice shaking.

He hugged me tighter. "I doubt it, but you want me to call Dickie for you, just in case?" I could hear the smile in his voice and I reached up and smacked his hand.

Bob flew past us down the steps and into the tiny back yard, sniffing out the perfect location to do his business. "Go get your shoes on, Cupcake. Let's take Bob for a walk."

Joe snapped the leash on Bob and we took off around the block, past the houses where Burg life went on as usual. The fact that I had absolutely no appetite at all should tell you how bad off I was. We walked slowly in the gathering dusk, holding hands, each lost in our own thoughts, waiting for Bob to do his own investigation of each and every other dog who had taken this route before him, checking his pee-mail. And we waited while he marked his territory in return.

We were just coming out of the park when a blue and white rolled to a stop in front of us and my stomach did a back flip. I felt pretty silly but still breathed a sigh of relief when Eddie rolled down the window and leaned out to chat. "Hey guys, how you doin'?" he said with an exaggerated Jersey accent.

"Doin' okay, Eddie. What's up?" I leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Just checking on you, kiddo," he said as he patted my hand. "I wanted to make sure my favorite cousin by marriage was alright."

Joe came up and draped his arm around my shoulders. "Gazarra. You trying to make time with my woman?" he asked in mock anger, narrowing his eyes at Eddie. I couldn't help but laugh.

Eddie winked at me. "Nah! Just wanted her to know that we all love her and if she ever needs character references, she can call on anybody at the station. We're all more than willing to testify that she's one hell of a character!"

"Eddie, do you know who's running the investigation? Anything you can tell me about them?" I figured that these state cops knew everything about me. It wouldn't hurt for me to know something about them.

"Yeah, Rinaldi and Malfitano. Both of them have been on the job a long time; know their shit, real straight arrows. Neither one of them has a sense of humor, but they're both good guys." Eddie's radio crackled to life, and with a wave, he took off on a call.

As we strolled back home, Joe leaned down and whispered a long list of things he wanted to do to me to keep my mind off the situation. I have to admit, he managed to distract me and even made me giggle and blush a time or two. It was close to ten o'clock by the time we got back to the house and Joe stopped me on the front walk to give me a kiss that curled my toes, an appetizer for what else he had in store for me.

He was about to put his key into the lock when Bob let out a low, menacing growl. Joe shoved me behind him and went for his gun as two men stepped out of the shadows, weapons in hand.

TBC…

_**A/N: **__Sorry that this is a short chapter, but we entertained Hurricane Ike and the aftermath this week. My husband and I were lucky. Lots of wind and rain, but we only lost a tree and our antique fence. My older son and his family live in Houston. His house took some minor damage and his car flooded. They have no electricity, no water, and no phones… none of the things that we all take for granted. Grocery stores, banks, schools, restaurants, gas stations… anyplace that requires electricity is closed. Several million people are in the same boat, and huge numbers have no homes to go back to. Say a small prayer of thanks when you open your refrigerator, or step into the shower, or flush your toilet, or turn on your TV tonight. We take so much for granted and we're so damned lucky, and we don't even realize it. Thanks to everyone who sent prayers and good wishes and positive thoughts. We all appreciate it._

_Okay … so what are the chances that Steph will be a serious suspect in Abruzzi's murder? Do you think she could be arrested? And who do you think would come to her rescue … if she needs to be rescued, that is? And most importantly, do you think she'll tell the state investigators what she knows about how Abruzzi died or who helped him get dead?? Let me know what you think Steph will do…_

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Thanks for feeding my inner review slut …lol!_

_Stayce_


	6. For The Love Of Mud!

Chapter 6:

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed.**_

_**Warning: Language, All 12 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, for putting up with my whining, and Christie, MagnificentSin, for ass kicking, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter. I really appreciate it … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And Thank You to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

**The courses of true love never did run smooth  
William Shakespeare**

**Chapter 6:**** Oh For The Love Of Mud!**

Joe morphed from boyfriend into cop in a split second. He stepped in front of me, shielding me from the gunmen and dragged me down with him as he dropped into a crouch, making us smaller targets. Pulling his gun from the back of his waistband, he scanned the shrubbery in the tiny front yard and along the street, announcing that he was a police officer and demanding to know what the men wanted. The two guys must have retreated into the deep shadows, because I couldn't see either one of them from where we were hunkered down. Bob kept growling, though, his head lowered, hackles raised, teeth bared, so they must have still been there.

"Get inside," Joe whispered to me. "Call 911 and don't turn on any lights."

Reaching up and turning the key in the lock, I shoved the front door open far enough to scramble into the living room on my hands and knees, and pulled out my cell phone. I gave the 911 operator all the necessary information and raced up the stairs, through the dark house to the bedroom where I had dumped my stuff earlier in the evening.

I grabbed my Sig and, just to be on the safe side, took a small can of mace from my utility belt shoving it into the pocket of my shorts before I cautiously peeked out the front windows. There was enough light that from up here I could see Joe on the front steps, the yard, the sidewalk, the driveway, and the two men. One of them was crouched in the bushes, hidden in the shadows right in front of Joe. The other was on the far side of Joe's SUV, moving slowly up the driveway toward the porch, probably trying to get the drop on Joe.

No way was I letting that happen! I flew down to the kitchen and slipped quietly out the back door. Holding my breath, I plastered my back against the side of the house and crept down the driveway toward the street. The guy crouched behind the SUV was so focused on Joe that he never even realized I had come right up behind him.

I needed to disable him right away, and unfortunately, shooting him wasn't an option. "Pssstt!" I hissed at him and he jumped up, spinning around toward me. I caught him right in the face with a full blast of mace, and right away he dropped his gun and started bellowing as the chemicals burned his eyes and nose.

All hell broke loose as the guy in the bushes jumped up and a snarling Bob lunged off the porch at him. I couldn't see what was happening, but I guess Bob connected because the guy screamed like a little girl. Joe yelled, "Stop! Police!" and a second later, I heard a single gunshot. Bob yelped, I screamed, Joe called my name and vaulted the small wrought iron porch rail, landing next to me in the driveway.

"Are you hurt?" he demanded as he looked me over quickly before pulling me back into the shadows.

"No, I'm fine." I pointed at the guy I'd maced. "He's not doing so hot though."

We both raised our guns as the second guy burst out of the hedges at a full run. He shot past us and grabbed his buddy, who was stumbling around blindly, and hauled him across the neighbors' front lawns toward the corner. I took off after them but before I even got two steps, Joe reached out and snagged my collar, hauling me back next to him.

He turned me around and pushed me back toward the house. "Stephanie, stay put! I mean it!" and he was off, pounding after them.

"Like hell!" I muttered to myself since Joe was already gone. I started after him, but when the sound of the approaching sirens filtered through my adrenaline induced high, I gave up the chase. Picking up the bad guy's gun, I jogged down the driveway to meet the boys in blue, who were riding to the rescue, my eyes on Joe the whole time.

The two men just about made it to the middle of the street when half a dozen blue and whites, lights flashing, sirens screaming, wheeled up from both directions and squealed to a stop in front of the house, jumping curbs and blocking the street, pretty much surrounding the men. I stood on the sidewalk and watched as cops jumped out of their cars and none too gently, took the men down. In seconds, the two were face down on the concrete, hands cuffed behind their backs.

The neighbors peeked through their curtains, stood on their front stoops, and spilled out of their houses. I turned over the maced guy's gun and the cops bagged and tagged the weapons under the watchful eyes of the entire neighborhood. It was like watching a live episode of _Law and Order_!

Eddie strolled over and slung his arm around my shoulder. "Well Slick, you've sure had a busy evening." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at bad guy #2 who was bent over in the street, still coughing and snorting and gasping for breath. "You got him real good!"

I couldn't help but grin. "Well it serves him right, jumping out of the shadows with a gun like that. Got any idea who they are or what they wanted?"

Eddie shook his head, "Sorry Steph, they aren't talking. We'll take 'em back to the station and run 'em both. I'll let you know what we find out." He patted my shoulder and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry. We'll figure out what's going on."

"Thanks Ed," I said with a tired sigh and watched while he loaded the creep into his cruiser. I started toward the house and almost tripped over Bob's twenty foot long leash. It was snaked across the front walk and wrapped in and around the scrubby bushes in front of the house.

"Aha! So this is where you are! All tangled up, huh? Come on Bob, my turn to rescue you!" I said with a laugh and was answered by a small whine. "Oh, poor baby! You were so brave, growling at those bad men! Hang on; I'll get you out of there. You can come out and sniff crotches and have some fun. After all, you're my hero and..." I pulled back some of the branches and saw Bob sprawled on the ground, panting, blood covering his neck and shoulder.

Oh My God! I'd heard the gun fire, but I never thought for a minute that it had been aimed at Bob! I screamed for Joe and dove into the bushes, clawing at the branches, trying to get to my dog. When I touched his face, Bob's eyes flickered open for a second and his tail thumped the ground once. That did it, my heart broke and I started to sob

Joe and Eddie and a couple of the other cops came running over. Joe took one look and literally pulled the shrubs out of the ground so they could reach Bob. Somebody brought a blanket and a first aid kit and I got kind of pushed aside while they clustered around Bob, trying to see how badly he was hurt.

I heard Eddie say 'bullet wound' and while one of the cops opened up the back of Joe's SUV, Eddie and Joe gently picked up the whimpering dog and deposited him in the vehicle.

I looked around and spotted the bastard who had hurt Bob. Bad guy #1 was leaning up against a cop car, bitching that he needed a doctor. His pant leg was torn and bloody where Bob had obviously bitten him. _Good dog_, I thought, _you think you're hurt now? Wait 'til I get done with you._

I tore across the yard and threw myself at him. "You shot Bob! You hurt my dog, you lousy son of a bitch!" I shrieked at him, and kicked him in his bloody leg, making his knee buckle under him. "You could have killed him, you bastard!" He hit the ground hard and I kicked at him a couple more times while he rolled around, trying to get away from me.

With one final kick to his ass, I stomped back up the sidewalk, headed back to Bob. The asshat finally struggled up to his knees and yelled after me, "That mutt bit me! Too bad I didn't kill him." That did it. I totally lost it. I turned around and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, hauling him back up to his feet. Balling up my fist, I reared back and punched him square in the nose.

Blood spurted all over the place and he started screaming at the top of his lungs, "Somebody help! Get this crazy bitch off me!" He tried to get away, but I was on him, scratching and slapping and punching, cursing, screaming like a banshee! I'd teach him to hurt my dog!

The cops and neighbors gathered around for the show, but nobody tried to stop me. Well, Carl _did_ try to pull me off the guy, but he didn't have a prayer. "Back off, Carl!" I growled, and he let me go. Carl is a lot smarter than he looks.

I was a mad woman, literally! I got in a couple more good shots before Big Dog came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me up off the ground with my arms and legs still swinging. "Okay Killer, round's over, you won. Neutral corners! You're gonna hurt yourself."

But I wasn't quite done yet and I lashed out with both my feet, catching the guy right in the balls. His eyes bulged and rolled back in his head. He went down like a sack of rocks, curling into a fetal position, hands still cuffed behind him.

The cops all hissed in a collective breath and shuddered but didn't move to help the jerk up or anything. Joe honked the horn as he backed out of the driveway, yelling to me to hurry up. Big Dog carted me over to the SUV and deposited me in the front seat. "You take care of Bob, Steph. We'll take care of those two."

Joe pulled into the street and I climbed over the seats to get back to Bob, petting him and crooning to him. Joe stuck his Kojak light on the roof of the car and we sped off to the Emergency Animal Clinic.

Three hours later, when we finally dragged ourselves in the front door, Bob had come through the surgery to remove the bullet and was resting comfortably at the vet's office. My fear and fury had been replaced by total exhaustion. I stood at the foot of the stairs and looked up. Those stairs might as well have been Mount Everest. I stumbled over and curled up on the couch, pulling an afghan over my head.

Eddie had been right. This had been one hell of a day. I was a 'Person of Interest' in a murder investigation, we'd been jumped by guys with guns, my dog had been shot … what the hell else could happen. Wait! Don't answer that. I really didn't want to know.

Unfortunately, I found out 'what else' too damn soon. Eddie called to tell us that our armed assailants were actually investigators hired by Trans-Global Insurance, the carriers for Eddie Abruzzi's life insurance policies. They claimed that they came to Joe's house to talk to me, and that they only pulled their weapons to defend themselves against a vicious dog and its demented, Mace wielding owner. I guess that would be me.

Anyway, they swore the whole episode was just a huge misunderstanding. And just in case I didn't agree with them, they wanted me charged with Simple Assault, Assault & Battery, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and a few other crimes and misdemeanors. Just friggin' swell! I'm a one woman crime wave!

I barely remember Joe slinging me over his shoulder and carrying me up to bed. I know we slept in our clothes, on top of the covers, because that's how we woke up when the alarm went off … waaaaay too early. Two pots of coffee later, we both stumbled off to work.

I dragged my tired ass into RangeMan that morning and had to take all kinds of heat from the Merry Men. Seems that word of my 'little temper tantrum', as Lester called it, had spread like wildfire. They joked that since my new sideline was supplying the Trenton Men's Choir with sopranos, along with the usual bullet proof vests, RangeMan would be issuing Bombshell proof titanium athletic cups as standard safety equipment. Merry Man humor. Har-dee-har-har.

I made it through the morning on auto-pilot, fueled by enough coffee to eat a hole in my stomach lining. I was so tired I wasn't even hungry. Jeez! That was a first! I used my lunch break to go visit Bob who'd be recuperating at the Vet's for a couple more days. When I got back to my cubby, the message light on my desk phone was flashing. Just great! I stared at that damn little light for a whole minute trying to decide if I really wanted to listen to the messages.

Considering all the really swell stuff that had happened to me lately, I was pretty sure that Brad Pitt wasn't calling to say he ditched Angie and the kids for me, and if you don't sign up, you can't win the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes. Nope, I decided that it was in my best interests to ignore that flashing message light and just pretend that nothing at all had happened last night. Denial is my friend … Denial is my friend … Denial is my friend … my new mantra.

I mean, probably it was my mother, right? I know that every single one of Joe's neighbors was chomping at the bit to be the first one to call her and let her know about all the commotion. In the Burg, it's considered bad manners to call anyone after the nightly news came on. Half of Joe's neighbors probably sat up all night waiting for 7am, the earliest allowable time to phone a Burg resident. The only consolation was that Joe's mother was probably getting all those same calls too, and she'd be calling Joe. The neighbors got a great 'two for one' deal with this little fiasco.

Anyway, I didn't have to talk to my mother; I could hear her voice in my head just fine, thankyouverymuch … 'Stephanie! Nice people don't have armed men show up at their homes. What will the neighbors think? Marjorie Hruska's daughter has seven dogs and none of _them _get shot. Why can't you be more like her?' sigh I mean, was it any wonder that I ignored that blinking light?

I was pretty proud of myself. I didn't even SEE that stupid flashing light all afternoon. It was real easy to do after I covered it with a piece of duct tape. I put my cell phone on vibrate and unless it was Joe, I let it go straight to voice mail. When I got home, the answering machine in the kitchen was blinking so fast it looked like it was having a seizure. I couldn't delete those messages, though, because I sure wouldn't want Joe to miss his mother's calls, so I stuck the whole machine in a kitchen cabinet. Hey! Remember my mantra!

Joe called to tell me he caught a double homicide down on Stark Street and I shouldn't wait up for him. Believe me, I didn't argue! I nuked some of Angie Morelli's stuffed shells for dinner and I was tucked into bed, sound asleep by seven o'clock. I didn't even remember Joe climbing into bed next to me.

It's amazing what twelve hours of sleep can do for a person. I felt like a new woman. I didn't wake Joe, just taped a note to the bathroom mirror and slipped out of the house early. I stopped by the Tasty Pastry for coffee and a box of donuts, then sailed into the bonds office to surprise Connie and Lula.

"Girlfriend! Where you been?" Lula started, totally ignoring the donuts and coffee. "Don't you ever answer your phone no more? I been trying to call you!"

Connie jumped up and came around her desk. "Steph, what the hell is going on? Why are all these people asking questions about you?"

"What people? What are you talking about? Who's asking questions?" It suddenly hit me that both Connie and Lula were totally ignoring the food. Uh-oh! This could not be good!

"Steph, there were state cops in here." Connie took my arm and pulled me over to the couch. "They asked all kinds of questions about you and wanted a list of all the skips you ever brought in. I told 'em to come back with a warrant. What's going on?"

"Yeah," Lula added. "They thought they were real slick, asking questions all chatty like. We didn't tell them nothin', but they spent a long time locked in there," she jerked her thumb toward Vinnie's office, "with the weasel. I swear they came out picking duck feathers off their clothes."

Just great! My head started pounding and my eye began to twitch. I knew that Connie and Lula would stand up for me, but Vinnie would sell me down the river in a heartbeat. God only knew what he told those cops!

"Yeah! And then the other two guys, slimy looking creeps. They wouldn't say who they were, but they were both carrying." Connie and Lula both looked at each other and then at me and nodded. You know, most women looked at a man's eyes or his smile or his butt. The first thing Connie noticed about a guy was whether or not he was packing heat. Tells you something, huh? The two guys were probably the insurance investigators.

"They were full of questions, too. But they weren't cops, you know I have stomach issues when there's cops around, and my stomach didn't bother me at all." Lula nodded sagely. "So you better spill, Girl, and don't leave nothin' out!"

With the donut box on Lula's lap, the three of us sat on the couch and I told them everything about the investigation, assuring Lula that I wouldn't mention her name. By the time I finished, I had lost my appetite and was already late for work. Connie and Lula promised to call me if anybody else showed up asking questions, and I promised to answer my phone, turning it back on right then and there as a show of good faith.

I pulled into the garage on Haywood and hustled to the elevator, passing Junior as he stepped off. "Hey Steph," he said with a smile, "Lester's looking for you." I nodded and gave him a little finger wave as the doors closed, wondering what Lester wanted. When the doors pinged open on five, I got off the elevator as Bobby got on. "Morning Steph. Lester needs to see you in his office, ASAP." I thanked Bobby and went straight to the break room for coffee, this was gonna be another one of those days, I could tell already and I was gonna need all the caffeine I could get. As I was pouring the coffee, Hal strolled in. "Hi Steph! Lester wants to talk to you?" The man must have sent out a company-wide memo because by the time I got to my cubby, Woody, Ram, and even Ella had delivered Lester's message. And just in case I managed to miss everybody, there was a great big piece of paper taped over my monitor, 'See Lester Immediately! Urgent!' Gee, ya think Lester wants to talk to me?

I dumped my purse and carried my coffee down to his office. I never even got to knock. The door flew open and Lester grabbed my arm and hauled me inside, my coffee sloshing onto my hand. "What the hell, Lester?" I started, but he shushed me with a finger to his lips as he looked up and down the hall and then closed the door.

"What's going on?" I shook my wet hand, sending drops of coffee all over the place and looked around for something to clean up with.

Lester pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and started mopping coffee off me. "Tank has two state cops in his office. They said they were trying to get in touch with you, left messages all over the place but you didn't answer any of them. They think you're trying to dodge them. Are you? Do we need to get you outta here, Bomber?"

"Oh shit!" Betcha I could tell you who all those phone messages were from. I whipped out my cell and went through the voice mails … three were from a Detective Rinaldi.

"Les, I'm sorry. It's my fault that they're here. I never even listened to my messages yesterday."

"Is this about Abruzzi?" he asked and I nodded 'yes'.

Lester thought a minute and then waggled his eyebrows and gave me a wicked grin. "They don't know you're here. Call them back now. Act all innocent and tell 'em how sorry you are you didn't pick up their messages. Then maybe you should go have a chat with Tank." He gave me a big wink.

I snorted and hit dialed Rinaldi's number. My mother would have been proud of the very polite and slightly apologetic message I left on Detective Rinaldi's voice mail. Lester wrapped his arm around my waist and gave me a squeeze when we got to Tank's office.

Cal was standing guard outside the closed door, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. I guess he was the official escort. He nodded toward the door, "Company. State cops, asking questions." Cal's lip curled in distaste. I mouthed 'Thanks,' and took a deep breath before I knocked on the door.

A few seconds later Tank opened the door and tipped his head almost imperceptibly and cut his eyes back over his shoulder. I winked in response. "Hey Tank!" I chirped. "I'm sorry I'm late, but you know how bad the last couple of days have been f…" He stepped back and opened the door wide allowing me to see the two men seated in the guest chairs in front of the desk. Even if I didn't know who they were, I would have made those two for cops right away. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," and started to back away.

"Actually Steph, these two men are here to see you," Tank said formally. The detectives did the polite thing and stood up, whether it was for my benefit or Tank's was a jump shot. They smiled and held out their business cards and introduced themselves as Detectives Tony Rinaldi and Jim Malfitano from the State Attorney General's office. Rinaldi was short and round while Malfitano was tall and slim. They looked like the Bert and Ernie of the cop world.

Rinaldi did the talking. "Ms. Plum, you're a difficult lady to get in touch with. Glad to finally catch up with you," he said with a huge smile and stuck out his hand to pump mine.

"Yeah," said Malfitano sourly. "You're not avoiding us, are you?" He said it with a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Is there some reason you don't want to talk to us?"

Crap! They were already playing 'good cop-bad cop.' "Avoid you?" I smiled back at him, playing dumb. "I didn't even know you guys wanted to talk to me until a little while ago." I mean, that was the truth, right? Plus, I was not about to let this dipstick think he was intimidating me. "So, what's this about?"

"We'd like to talk with you about Eddie Abruzzi." Rinaldi smiled.

Malfitano smiled too. "Just an informal chat," he added.

Informal, my ass! If they thought they could fool me just because they because they were smiling, they had another thing coming!

"I can free up one of the conference rooms for you, if you like," Tank offered.

Malfitano and Rinaldi looked at each other. "We'd prefer that Ms. Plum come downtown with us, now," Malfitano snapped.

"If you don't mind," Rinaldi added hastily. The two men smiled at Tank, then smiled at me. There was an awful lot of smiling going on here.

Tank looked over at me. "Steph?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Um … Okay, I guess," I said to them. "But I'm on the clock." I turned to Tank. "Is it okay with you?"

Malfitano jumped right in. "I'm sure your boss wouldn't object to you helping us with a police investigation." He looked at Tank … smiling again. "Would you?" Do sharks smile?

I turned to the two cops. "In that case, okay. No problem!" I said brightly and smiled some more. My face was starting to hurt from all this phony smiling.

We all walked out of Tank's office together, with Cal on the cops' heels. He escorted them to the elevator while Tank and I stopped by my cubby to get my purse and keys. They tried to follow, but Cal blocked their way. It was really hard not to smirk, even two armed cops weren't gonna argue with Cal.

Tank grabbed hold of my hand. "I'm gonna go with you. I don't like the idea of you being all by yourself with those two. I think they're gonna try to put the squeeze on you and maybe you could use a little muscle. Something's up with those two and I don't trust them as far as I could throw them." Considering Tank's size and the size of the two cops, Tank could throw 'em about a mile. Still, I knew what he meant … I got the feeling that all that smiling and those polite manners were just a front, but for what, I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

I slid my arms around the big guy's waist and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Tank." I leaned my forehead against his chest. "They're really looking to pin this on me, aren't they?" I knew I was right; Tank did too, he couldn't even look me in the eyes. "I hate to admit it, even to myself… but I'm scared," I whispered, like if I said it out loud, it would be true.

Tank heaved a sigh, "I'm gonna call Ranger and tell him what's going on."

"No!" I pushed away from Tank, panic rising in my throat. "Don't you dare involve him. What he di… what happened to Abruzzi is on _my_ head. It was because of me. If somebody has to pay a price for it, it's my price to pay."

Tank studied my face for a long minute, then finally nodded. "Okay, Steph, okay. But don't you do or say anything to involve yourself until there's no other option. Agreed?" It was my turn to nod. "I got your back. Let's do it!" he said and slung an arm around my shoulders as we walked out into the control room.

News traveled fast at RangeMan. Hal hustled over. "Remember Steph, you don't have to answer any questions you don't want to."

"And you can leave any time you want," Lester stage whispered from the other side of the room.

"Yeah," added Woody, keeping his eyes on the monitor, "Be sure they say, on the record, that you came in voluntarily."

"And if they read you your Miranda Rights, don't answer ANY questions, not even your name. Ask for a lawyer right away and then zip it!" Zero nodded wisely. I got the feeling that he had a lot of experience with this kind of stuff.

"Okay, thanks guys, I'll remember." I mean, I know the guys were just trying to help, but now I had butterflies the size of bats flapping around in my stomach. I gave them a weak smile and a wave and started for the elevator. We'd only gone about six feet when I notice that they were all following us … my Merry Man escort.

The cops scowled when they saw the group, but when the doors pinged open, they played gentleman and stood back to let me on first, or so I thought. They followed me into the car and practically pinned me against the back wall, standing right in front of me with their backs turned, staring down the Merry Men. I guess it was so I couldn't bolt or to show everybody who was in charge.

Tank realized what they were doing and jerked his head to the guys in the hall as the doors started to close. Somebody stuck their hand between the doors and they slid open again. Hal, Ram, and Cal strolled aboard, glaring at the cops. Bobby and Lester squeezed in after them and suddenly the whole arrangement was shuffled. Rinaldi and Malfitano were jammed against the back of the car by a wall of muscle and I was standing up right up front. I was smiling from ear to ear when I stepped off that elevator. RangeMen ROCK!

We finally got downtown and settled in an interview room. It was Malfitano, and Rinaldi, and me, and a great big mirror that I knew hid a video camera and probably the rest of the AG's team, including an Assistant District Attorney. Of course, they made Tank wait outside. Rinaldi pulled a small recorder out of his pocket and put it on the conference table. "You don't mind if we tape this, do you?" he asked.

"Nope. I know the routine."

"Yeah, that's right," Malfitano said, "You live with a cop, don't you?" Like he didn't know!

Rinaldi started the recorder and identified himself and Malfitano. I was asked for my name, address, phone number, date of birth, driver's license number, and everything short of the results of my last PAP test.

Rinaldi started off with, "We have a few questions about your relationship with Eddie Abruzzi."

There was that word again … relationship. I rolled my eyes. "I'd hardly call it a relationship."

"Okay then, how long did you know Mr. Abruzzi?" Rinaldi pulled out a pen and pad; I guess the recorder wasn't enough.

"A couple of weeks." I knew the rules of interrogation. Answer the questions, don't volunteer any additional information.

Rinaldi arched an eyebrow at me. "Really?" He sounded skeptical. "And how did you two meet?"

"I was at one of his rental properties to see a tenant and Abruzzi and one of his men came by." I left Lula and Albert out of the story. And the part about the broken window. There was no use getting anybody else in trouble.

"And …" Rinaldi prompted.

"And nothing. The tenant wasn't home and Abruzzi told me to leave. And I did."

Rinaldi and Malfitano looked at each other, then at me. "Okay," Malfitano blew out an irritated sigh and dropped all pretense of politeness. "Let's cut to the chase here, sweetheart. Those Trenton cop friends of yours have big mouths. We already know that Abruzzi gave you all kinds of presents. Don't try and tell us you were strangers," he snarked.

"He went to a lot of trouble and expense to find just the right gifts for you," Rinaldi, the 'good cop', added more gently. "It's obvious he thought a lot of you."

I swear I heard the thud when my jaw hit the floor. Presents? From Abruzzi? Were these guys nuts? I just couldn't help myself and I barked out a laugh. "You're kidding, right? The only thing Eddie Abruzzi ever gave me was a couple of heart attacks. Where did you get the idea that he was giving me gifts?" My hand automatically covered the scar on my arm. Abruzzi had left me with a constant reminder of what a sick bastard he was, but I'd hardly call it a _gift_.

Malfitano leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. The 'bad cop' was trying to look tough. "We have it on good authority that Abruzzi sent a couple of his goons into New York City to pick up two special order gifts for you. They cost a bundle! _Now _whatdaya have to say?"

It finally dawned on me what they were talking about and I rolled my eyes! "Do you guys have a clue what those _'gifts'_ were?" When neither one of them answered, I went on. "The first one was a bag with four great big black snakes that I found hanging on my front door."

Malfitano arched an eyebrow at me. Obviously they didn't believe me. I heaved a sigh. "There should be an incident report at the TPD. When the cops saw the snakes they called Animal Control and those guys rounded up three of 'em, so they'll have a record, too." I folded my arms over my chest and glared back at Malfitano. I could play the same game!

"I thought you said there were four snakes," Malfitano said with a sneer. "What happened to the fourth one? Keep it as a pet?"

"No," I said dryly. "I shot the son of a bitch!" I probably shouldn't have said that, huh?

Malfitano just stared at me. I guess he was trying to figure out if I was pulling his leg or not. Rinaldi cleared his throat, "And the second, uh … gift?" he asked.

"Spiders. Tarantulas. In my car. There's incident report on _that_, too."

Rinaldi ran a hand over his face. "And I suppose Animal Control came to collect them as well?"

"Oh yeah, and my insurance company knows all about it 'cause I side-swiped a car when one of those little 'gifts' popped out and surprised me." I wrapped my arms around myself and shuddered at the memory.

Rinaldi ran his hand over his face. "Okay, so I take it you don't like spiders and snakes." I rolled my eyes at him. Einstein!

"Look," Malfitano stood up and started pacing the little room. "Why don't you make it easy on all of us and tell us why Abruzzi went to all that trouble and expense to send you spiders and snakes. You say they weren't gifts, so what were they? Bribes? Threats? Warnings? What did he want from you, huh? Sex? Trying to force you into bed with him?"

"What? No! He never… Oh, that's just disgusting!" But I had to wonder if that was Abruzzi's idea of seduction. Another shudder.

"Ms. Plum, Stephanie … If he was threatening you, terrorizing you and you shot him because you thought your life was in danger, that's self defense." Rinaldi reached a hand across the table to me, sympathy and concern just dripping off him. "Just tell us the truth. Let us help you!"

I stared at them open mouthed. I was so stunned, I couldn't even talk! That was a new one for me. I shook my head to clear it. I had a couple of ways I could go here and I had to make a choice pretty quick. I could bullshit around and play games with them. Unfortunately, they probably weren't as dumb as they looked and would catch on to that pretty quick. They already thought I killed Abruzzi. Fooling around wouldn't help me any.

Another choice would be to get up and walk out. Of course, then they could call me a material witness and lock me up. I'd just be digging myself in deeper. Probably not a smart idea either.

The third choice, and the winner as far as I was concerned, was to give them the whole story. Well, a sanitized and carefully edited version, of course, but as close to the truth as I could get without implicating Ranger or anybody else for that matter. I'd look like I was cooperating and had nothing to hide.

"Okay, okay," I held up my hands in a stop gesture. "I don't know where you got these ideas, but this is what happened." I started with Mabel knocking on my parents' door, through finding Soder, dead on my couch, Val and me being kidnapped, and finished up with Joe telling me that Abruzzi had been found in the Farmers' Market parking lot.

I left out stuff like my mother running over the rabbit and killing him, and Ranger and Hector being at Pino's when Val and I got back there, and knowing that Evelyn and Annie had Abruzzi's medal. I played up the Jeanne Ellen thing, let them think that there was some kind of rivalry between us and I only stuck around so she wouldn't find Evelyn and Annie first.

Malfitano and Rinaldi didn't say anything during my whole recitation and I had to wonder if they knew about all the parts of the story I edited out. Their silence was making me really nervous here.

Rinaldi tapped his pencil on the table, "Just a couple more questions, Ms. Plum."

"Were you living with Detective Morelli during this time?" Rinaldi asked, scribbling on his note pad.

"No. We'd gone our separate ways months before any of this happened, but we stayed friends. I'd come and visit Bob when he got lonely."

"Bob?" Malfitano snorted. "He calls it _BOB_?" and started to snicker.

I caught on right away and narrowed my eyes at him. What was this guy's hang up with sex, for crying out loud. "Bob is the dog!" You idiot! But I didn't say that part out loud … I don't think.

Rinaldi shot his partner a side-ways warning glance. "So who were you seeing at that time?"

"Actually, nobody. I had sort of sworn off men." I didn't think that one night with Ranger qualified as 'seeing' somebody, especially since it was payment for The Deal. And I sure as hell wasn't telling 'em about _that_. The last thing I needed these guys to think was that I traded sex for favors.

"Women?" Malfitano shot.

"NO!" Yeesh, what a slimebag! I rolled my eyes again. Probably I should stop doing that, I was giving myself a headache.

"Can you account for your whereabouts during the hours of 12 midnight and 2am on the day in question?"

"Detective Morelli took me to St. Francis' ER to treat the burn on my arm. I don't know exactly what time it was, but they'll have a record. Then he took me to his house and I passed out and didn't wake up until the next morning."

Malfitano eyed me suspiciously. "I thought you said you two weren't together."

"We weren't, but he knew I was afraid that Abruzzi would come after me again. Joe knew I'd feel safer with him." It was the truth, after all.

"So Detective Morelli would be your alibi?"

"Yes."

"What kind of a gun do you carry?" Malfitano snapped.

"RangeMan issued 9 mil Sig Saur," I shot back.

"You carry a throw down piece?" Rinaldi eyed me.

"No." KISS … Keep it simple Stephanie.

"Do you own any other handguns?" Both cops were making notes.

"A .38 Police Special." They were tag teaming me, throwing questions so fast that I couldn't get one answered before they asked the next.

"Where is it right now?" They must practice this shit.

"At home." But I really wished I had it with me so I could throw it at them.

"Where?" Malfitano demanded.

Wait for it … "In my cookie jar."

They both stopped dead and looked at me and then at each other. Rinaldi bit back a smile. "Like Rockford?" he asked. I just shrugged my shoulder. "Cute." Was all he said.

"Tell me, Ms. Plum … would you be willing to submit to a lie detector test?" Malfitano was smiling again, the rat.

I swallowed hard and crossed my fingers. Everybody knows that it's not a lie if your fingers are crossed, right? "Sure," I told him, hoping that he couldn't hear my heart hammering in my chest. "Why not?"

They let me go after that, telling me not to leave town without informing them and to make myself available for further questioning. Round one was over. I knew that from here on in, it would get nasty. I really didn't know if I was prepared for what was ahead.

Tank took me to Pino's, plied me with comfort food, pizza and beer, and then sent me home early. I spent the afternoon with Val, trying to prepare her for a visit from the state cops, and then snagged Albert in his office to do the same thing. To be honest, I was more worried about what Albert would say to them. He had a tendency to embellish the facts, such a bizarre thing for a lawyer to do… not!

What I thought of as an experience best buried deep in denial, Albert thought of as brag-worthy exploits. I just hope his story telling wouldn't get me locked away for the rest of my life.

Thing seemed to calm down for a couple of days. I didn't hear any more from the Dynamic Duo, Rinaldi and Malfitano, and I actually started to relax a little. Bob celebrated his homecoming from the vet's by scarfing down two meatball subs and the whole extra large supreme pie that Joe left on the kitchen counter. I spent the rest of the night cleaning up Bob barf. Life was getting back to normal.

Friday night I hustled home so I could change my clothes and meet the guys at Shorty's for our regular pizza and pool night. I had gotten pretty good and had actually won a couple of the pots. Joe was supposed to go play poker at Big Dog's, so I wasn't surprised to see his SUV parked in front of the house when I turned the corner.

I didn't see the two black Suburbans in the driveway or the swarm of guys in black jackets emblazoned with State Police across the back tramping in and out of the house until I pulled up at the curb. Joe was out on the front walk holding Bob on a tight leash, both of them watching the action. I jumped out of the car and ran to him.

"Joe? What's going on?" I put my hand on his arm. "What the hell are they doing?"

"They have a search warrant." Joe's voice was cold and filled with controlled anger.

State cops were carrying brown paper evidence bags out of the house and putting them in the back of one of the Suburbans. I watched Joe's computer and my laptop follow the bags. I had no clue what they could have found that would be considered evidence.

Morelli turned to me, eyes black and hard, face pale, mouth grim. "Just exactly what did you tell those state cops, Stephanie?"

"Wh … what?" I stared at him, open mouthed, my heart dropping somewhere around my knees.

"They took my badge and gun, Stephanie." He ground out the words painfully. "I've been suspended pending a full investigation into my involvement in the death of Eddie Abruzzi. MY involvement! Isn't that a hoot? I'm their prime suspect! So what did you say to them, huh? Just how far did you go to protect Ranger?"

Before I could even open my mouth, he shoved Bob's leash into my hands and stalked away. I called after him, but he ignored me. Bob leaned against my leg and we watched Joe climb into his SUV and tear off down the street.

Oh God! Did I do this? Was this really all my fault? And if it was, how the hell do I fix it?

_**TBC …**_

_**A/N: Well, I'm off on vacation for the next couple of weeks. I'm driving from Texas to Boston to visit with Kashy and a couple of other Plum readers and writers. I'll be visiting Trenton and Point Pleasant on my way home. Fair warning, I have no idea how long I'll be gone, and seriously doubt that I'll have much time for writing. But so far, The Return Of Ranger is scheduled for the next chapter! So stay tuned!**_

_**Okay, do you really think that Steph said something to the two State Cops that caused Joe to become the prime suspect? Do you think the cops will find anything incriminating in Joe's house? Could he really be charged? Let me know what you think will happen.**_

_**A special Thank You to everyone for your wonderful reviews. I love all of your ideas and suggestions …please keep 'em coming!**_

_**Stayce**_


	7. Love Will Find A Way!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed.**_

_**Warning: Language, All 12 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, for putting up with my whining and for editing this chapter, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship and bedtime stories. I really appreciate it … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_Love is not only something you feel.  
It is something you do.  
--David Wilkerson_

_**Chapter 6:**__** Love Will Find A Way!**_

Joe's words hit me like a slap in the face. How the hell could he think that I would betray him like that? That I'd sell him down the river to protect Ranger? Sure I owed Ranger. Probably I owed him my life for getting rid of Abruzzi. Okay, so definitely I owed him my life. But I could never sacrifice one of the men I loved to save the other! And yes, I admit it. I still loved Ranger. I just figured out that I wasn't IN-love with him anymore.

Right now, though, there was absolutely nothing I could do but stand there and watch Joe stalk away from me, fury just radiating off of him. I tried to follow him, tried to make him stop and listen to me, but he just shook my hand off his arm and snarled, "Don't bother, Stephanie! I don't wanna hear it!" He climbed into his SUV and took off, peeling away from the curb and down the block so fast that everybody turned to watch.

I was so stunned that it took me a full minute to realize that I was standing out on the sidewalk, in front of the whole neighborhood, with tears streaming down my face. Oh swell! Just one more thing to add to the friggin' Burg gossip mill. I swiped at my cheeks and tried to compose myself as Bob and I watched Joe disappear around the corner.

I turned to look at the house and a small shiver ran through me. My spidey sense at work, I guess. It was trying to tell me something, I just didn't know what. At this point, I was on emotional overload and was lucky I could figure out my own name, much less what my gut was trying to warn me about. I gave up trying to interpret the tingle and decided to go hide out inside. I guess I was hoping that if I looked tragic enough, I'd make 'em all feel bad, and they'd leave. Remember, deny, deny, deny!

So with as much dignity as I could muster, which wasn't a whole lot, I walked Bob down the driveway planning to slip in the back door and hide from the curious stares of the neighbors. I only got halfway there when one of the cops informed me that Bob wasn't allowed in the house. For some strange reason, Bob, who loved everybody, had apparently taken an instant dislike to Detective Malfitano, growling and baring his teeth at him and Bob had been banished from the house. Never let it be said that Bob didn't have good taste.

I hooked Bob's leash on the backyard fence and sat on the steps outside the kitchen door, putting my aching head down on my folded arms. I tried to find my happy place but the trouble was I was I ran out of happy a couple of days ago. Ah well, denial would just have to do.

Now everybody who knows me knows that denial is my best friend and there's a really good reason for that. See, if I don't go into deep denial and pretend that my problems don't exist, I have this talent to take things to the absolute opposite extreme.

A couple of days ago, I was the prime suspect in this whole mess and I was scared to death that I was going to be arrested and charged with murder. I ignored and denied it all as long as I could, but when denial failed me, I had lain awake at night, playing one over the top scenario after another on the inside of my eyelids.

I could see myself being arrested and dragged through the Burg in cuffs, my friends and family booing and hissing, turning their backs on me, denying that they knew me. I saw myself being found guilty by a judge wearing a white wig, looking down at me from a high bench, pounding a huge gavel. I could see myself walking up the steps to the scaffold and the hangman's noose, or being led to the guillotine, or burned at the stake. Yeah, yeah, I know. Melodramatic! But that's me for you.

But right now what I was seeing was Joe, hating me, blaming me for messing up his life, taking back his marriage proposal, throwing me out on the street. I was terrified that I'd wind up alone and unloved and homeless and it would all be my fault. I wasn't sure I could handle any of that and I sure as hell didn't know how to fix it either.

So anyway, there I sat, trying to wrap my head around everything that had happened so I could deny it all to death. I could deny that I was at fault, deny that Joe blamed me, deny that I was scared silly, deny the raw pain in Joe's face, deny that my whole life was falling apart around me and that I had no idea how to put it back together again.

It wasn't Joe's anger that got me, though. What hit me like a punch in the stomach was the pain in Joe's eyes, and my heart ached for him. Was that really my fault? Was I such a screw up that I could have caused this and I didn't even realize it? Was I so focused on saving my own ass, and Ranger's, that I could have hung Joe's out to dry? Was it really my fault that Joe was in danger of losing everything that he had worked so hard for?

I mean, Joe's a cop. That's who he is. That's how he defines himself. He had worked his ass off to overcome the so-called 'Morelli Family Curse,' to be different from his father and brothers. Sure, he could have followed in the same footsteps the rest of his male relatives and nobody would have batted an eye. People would have just shaken their heads and said, 'Yeah, well he's a Morelli,' as if that excused it all. But Joe wasn't a drunk, he wasn't a cheat, he wasn't an abuser, and the fact that he wasn't any of those things seemed to shock the shit out of everybody. How sad was that?

So what if he had a wild youth filled with barroom brawls and street fights and a whole parade of women? So did a lot of other fine upstanding citizens and no one was surprised that they straightened their lives out and became productive adults. Joe pulled himself together and grew up, served a hitch in the Navy and went to the Police Academy. He rose through the ranks and made detective because he put in the hours, worked the crappy cases, toed the line and obeyed the rules. And because he was _good_ at what he did!

And now his fellow cops, his brothers in blue, thought that he had thrown it all away by killing Abruzzi. Joe made himself what he was today … a good man, a good cop, and maybe even the guy I was going to marry. Maybe. I felt like we had stepped into some bizarre alternate universe, some Twilight Zone. This was insane … on what planet would anybody think that Joe could be a murderer?

Then my thoughts moved on to Ranger, giving me an even bigger headache. I had to wonder if he knew what was going on. Well, that was a stupid question. Of course he knew. The real question was, would he do anything about it? I couldn't believe that Ranger would let an innocent man go to prison, or worse, for a crime he didn't commit, even if that man was Morelli. But what _could _he do about it? Ranger stepping forward and confessing wouldn't solve anything either.

No matter how many times I tried to think this mess through, I always wound up at the same dead end. There was no way to fix this and all my thinking did was make my head spin and make my heart ache more. Even though Ranger wasn't a part of my life anymore, I couldn't bear the thought of him being locked up just because once upon a time he had cared for me enough, loved me enough, to risk everything just to protect me. I was faced with a choice I couldn't make … tell the cops that Ranger had killed Abruzzi, or let Joe pay the price for a something he didn't do. All I could do was pray for a miracle.

A crash and a curse from inside the house brought me back to what was going on around me. The state cops, under the supervision of those rat bastards, Rinaldi and Malfitano, were crawling all over the house and garage like ants. I could hear Rinaldi inside the house, choreographing the search and calling for evidence bags, making sure that every nook and cranny was gone through with a fine tooth-comb. I could hear the dishes rattling as they snooped through the kitchen cabinets, drawers opening and closing, furniture being shoved around, the door to the basement banging shut. They crawled through the rafters in the garage and even opened the bags of recycling stuff. Nothing was overlooked, not even the garbage cans.

There was a steady stream of evidence bags being carted out, and I just couldn't figure out what they could possibly have found to build a case with. I didn't think I could ever look at a brown paper bag again without my stomach rolling. Malfitano seemed to be in charge of the evidence chain, checking the labels on the bags and making sure they were numbered correctly and put in the Suburbans. Every time he walked up or down the driveway, Bob would growl at him. Malfitano would glare at me and growl back at Bob. Why wasn't I surprised? The man was an animal!

It was almost dark when they finally finished processing the place. The cops piled into the Suburbans, packed with their paper bags and took off, leaving only Rinaldi and Malfitano behind. They leaned over the hood of their car for a while, going over the papers on a clipboard, then Rinaldi walked down the driveway and into the back yard, stopping in front of me. I didn't bother to look up at him until he cleared his throat.

"Ms. Plum," he started and blew out a heavy breath when he saw that I was crying. "Ms. Plum … Stephanie … I'm sorry for all of this." He laid a hand on my shoulder and slid it down my arm to my elbow, tugging me gently to my feet. Sympathy was written all over his face and I resisted the urge to throw my arms around him and wail on his shoulder. He reached into his jacket pocket and handed me a neatly folded handkerchief that I used to mop my streaming eyes.

He cleared his throat again, clearly uncomfortable. "I have to ask you to sign a receipt for the things that have been removed," he said gently. He held out the clipboard and a pen to me, then took a step back. Probably he was afraid I'd start to cry all over him.

I took a deep breath and looked at the itemized lists … pages and pages of things. Computers, phone bills, handguns, clothing, shoes, CDs, letters, bullets, bank statements, sales receipts, pill bottles, all kinds of stuff; both Joe's and mine. The lists went on and on and just blurred together until I finally just flipped through pages and initialed each one, shoving the papers back at him. He pulled yellow carbon copies out from between the pages and handed the sheaf of papers to me.

"I really am sorry, Stephanie. I wish it could be different." He sounded so genuinely sincere that when he turned away, my hand just sort of shot out and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Please, I have to know," I practically begged him. "What did I say that made you change your minds and decide Joe was the suspect instead of me?" I'm sure he could hear the desperation in my voice and see it in my face.

Rinaldi's eyebrows shot up toward his receding hairline. "Why would you think it was something you said?"

"Well," I stuttered, "it had to be. You were investigating me, had me come in for questioning, and then all of a sudden Joe's suspended and you guys are searching his house."

I could see the wheels turning in his head, probably deciding just how much to tell me. "Listen. We questioned a lot of people. We have to look at each one and consider motive, opportunity, all that stuff. Nothing you said pointed us in Morelli's direction. Malfitano was already looking at him. That's all I can say about it. Okay?" and he gave me a fatherly pat on the arm.

I nodded and swallowed hard a couple of times, too overcome with relief to actually talk. Oh, thank God! It wasn't my fault after all!

Malfitano backed the car up the driveway and honked the horn. "Hurry up, Rinaldi. Move your ass," he yelled. "I wanna get home in time to watch the game."

"Hold on," Rinaldi bellowed back, using the same tone. "I'm not done here," and he turned back to say something else to me.

He didn't have a chance because Bob went nuts, straining at his leash and barking his head off, trying to get to Malfitano. "Shut up, ya mutt," Malfitano snarled. "Too bad that guy wasn't a better shot." He made a gun with his thumb and index finger, lined up his 'sights' on Bob and made a 'Pow' sound as he 'pulled the trigger', then laughed!

The bastard! My hands balled into fists and I took a step toward him. Rinaldi put his hand on my arm to stop me. "Don't. It's never a good idea to assault a police officer, even if he deserves it." He steered me back to the steps and kept hold of my arm until I sat down again. Probably a good thing or else I really would really have been hauled off in cuffs.

All of a sudden I knew why my spidey sense had been working overtime. It had to be Malfitano. I didn't trust him when I met first him; there had been something seriously off about the guy. It was plain as day. I was gonna have to keep my eye on him … I was sure something hinky was going on, and I was willing to bet that he was right in the middle of it!

"Hey!" Rinaldi bellowed at him, "Cut it out!" He ran a hand over his face and I swear he rolled his eyes before he turned to me. "I'm sorry. He's not himself lately, got something on his mind. Just ignore him." I just sat there and glared at Malfitano who was still snickering.

Rinaldi asked if I'd be okay and I nodded, not at all sure I shouldn't go sock the son of a bitch on the jaw just for the hell of it. The good cop patted my shoulder again and got into the car with Malfitano. I watched them pull away, wishing I could give Malfitano the evil eye like Grandma Bella, and he'd get four flat tires and a case of the clap. Rinaldi wasn't so bad, just a nice guy doing a crappy job, stuck with an asshole for a partner. I actually felt sorry for him.

I took Bob's leash off and let him roam around the yard while I went into the darkened house. I don't know what I expected, but it sure wasn't what I found when I turned on the kitchen light. The house didn't look like it had been searched; it looked like it had been vandalized!

All the kitchen cabinets had been emptied, and even the shelf paper was pulled up. Every dish, pot, pan, glass, towel, and utensil had been dumped on the counter. The stuff from the dishwasher was stacked on the floor and all the cleaning supplies were out from under the sink. The drawers were all pulled out and left all over the place. Everything from the pantry and fridge had been taken out, and all the stuff from the freezer was thawing in the sink. Rex's soup can was upside down and I dug through the cedar chips to make sure that he hadn't been bagged and tagged as evidence. Even the fifty-pound bag of Bob's dog food had been dumped in the middle of the kitchen floor.

I wandered through the dining room and living room with my mouth hung open. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Chairs were turned upside down, and the rugs had been pulled up. Pictures had been taken out of their frames, the plant had been dumped out of its pot. The slipcovers had been taken off the couch and the naked cushions strewn on the floor with CDs and books and magazines tossed into the mix. The blinds were lopsided, the curtains skewed, and the heating registers had been unscrewed from the walls. It looked like a bomb had gone off.

Upstairs had been trashed. Towels and bottles of shampoo and shower gel had been tossed in the tub and sink as they had searched through the bathroom medicine cabinet and linen closet. Bedding was lying in a heap on the floor, and the mattresses and box springs were off their frames. The closets were a mess, and my shoes had all been dumped out of their boxes. The fucking bastards had dropped Joe's police dress uniform on the floor. Bad enough to disrespect him, but the uniform, too? I vaguely remember picking it up and hanging it back up.

All the dresser drawers were empty. My panties and bras were heaped on top of the dresser along with nighties and hose. It meant that they handled everything I owned, and I wanted to drag it all into the backyard and set fire to it. Joe's stuff was tossed haphazardly all over the floor, boxers and t-shirts and socks and jeans and sweats, all mixed together.

The mess was overwhelming. It looked like a giant picked up the house, gave it a good shake, and then put it back. It looked fine from the outside, but inside? Holy hell! I was so stunned that I just sort of turned in a circle, looking around me, tears welling up again. I didn't even have a clue where to start to clean up the place.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the doorbell started ringing. Somebody was leaning on the bell and it rang over and over again. I stumbled down the stairs just in time to see the front door fly open and Lula barge in.

"Hey, white girl …" she bellowed. "Where the hell are ya?" She stood in the middle of the living room, a vision in neon orange spandex, hands filled with bags from Pino's and Cluck In A Bucket and Dunkin Donuts.

"Hold it down, she's not deaf!" Connie sniped and came in to stand next to her. "Jesus!" was all she could squeak out as she looked around at the wreckage. She held a case of Corona with a pizza box balanced on top.

"Holy shit! What a mess!" Mary Lou stopped in the doorway with a cake and a bag that I hoped held ice cream. "Man! Do we have our work cut out for us!" She kicked the door closed and sighed, "Okay, let's get busy."

"What are you guys doing here?" I sniffed tearfully from behind them.

The three of them spun around and descended on me. "We heard what was goin' down here. I seen searches before. They ain't neat. Figured you could use a hand straightenin' up." They plunked the food down on the coffee table, and Lula pulled me into a bear hug. Connie and Mary Lou joined in and, even though I'm not a huggy person, it was just exactly what I needed.

"And you brought me comfort food, too!" I said as we stood with our arms around each other, me leaking tears. "I don't even kn-know w-where to st-sta-a-art," and I really lost it then, bawling my eyes out.

"Well, I do," Mary Lou said as she patted my back. "Life's too short, eat dessert first!" She pulled a pint of Phish Food out of the bag, grabbed me by the hand and dragged me into the kitchen. She ripped off about a yard of paper towels for me to blow my nose, then found a spoon in the mess on the counter, washed it off and dug out a chunk of ice cream. I think my eyes rolled back in my head when she shoved it into my mouth, and pushed me into a kitchen chair.

With the efficiency of somebody who had a lot of practice, she loaded the dishwasher saying that we wouldn't want to use stuff after strangers had handled it. She got rid of all the food that had been left out and washed all the utensils, countertops, and cabinets. She gave Rex a new soup can and even swept up and re-bagged fifty pounds of dog food. In no time, everything was wiped down, cleaned up, and put away.

By the time Mary Lou finished the kitchen, I had licked the ice cream container clean and had my second wind. Okay, so it was my first wind, but at least I was finally able to do something besides stand there and cry like an idiot.

Mary Lou tackled the dining room, and I took on the living room, and we could both hear Connie and Lula yelling at each other as they moved stuff around upstairs, in between trips to the washer and dryer in the basement, that is. I had finished stuffing the couch cushions back into their covers and was folding the afghan when Connie strolled through the living room carrying a laundry basket with all my undies in it and headed back upstairs.

"Last load! All nice and clean," she held out the basket. "Oh, and Lula wants me to tell you that you're gonna have to put away Joe's stuff yourself," she said with a wink.

"Damn skippy!" Lula yelled down the stairs. "I ain't folding no bunny boxers, no way!" I had to smile at the thought of Joe's reaction to Lula rummaging through his underwear.

It was well after midnight by the time we finished cleaning up the house and polished off the food and the beer. The girls didn't even ask me anything about Joe, like where he was or why he wasn't helping with the clean up. I was pretty sure that they already knew about Joe snarling at me and stomping off in a huff … the Burg grape vine at its finest. I was worried about him, though. I knew that he was hurting, and I wondered where he was, if he was still angry and blaming me.

Hours later I was still sitting at the kitchen table when I heard the front door open and close softly. Bob was sprawled under the table and his tail thumped the floor, Joe was home. I heard him walk quietly through the living room and dining room and stop in the kitchen doorway. I just stared down at my bottle of now warm, flat beer, waiting I suppose, to see what his mood was.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulder. "Didn't try," I answered and glanced up at him. He was leaning against the kitchen doorway, hands jammed into his pockets, looking totally miserable… probably as miserable as I felt. I didn't say anything else, just kept playing with that stupid beer bottle.

He took a couple of steps into the room. "I drove to Point. Walked the whole boardwalk a couple of times. Realized what a jackass I was and came home." He took a deep breath and blew it out. "I wasn't sure you'd still be here."

That made me look up at him in surprise. "You thought I'd leave?"

"I wouldn'ta blamed you. I acted like a real jerk. You didn't deserve to be treated like that." He took another step toward me, "I didn't mean …" he started.

"I never said any…" I said at the same time, and we both stopped a little awkwardly.

"Look," I tried again, but he cut me off. "Me first," he said, and came over and squatted down beside me, taking my hands in his. "I can't apologize enough, Steph. I shouldn't have jumped on you like that. I was angry and frustrated and just so … Anyway, I took it out on you and that was wrong. Honest to God, I didn't mean what I said. I know you'd never …" he finished kind of lamely.

The tears welled up in my eyes again. "Joe, you have to believe me, I would never use you to try to protect …"

"I know, I know," he stood up, pulling me up out of the chair and into his arms. "I know you wouldn't. I'm sorry I hurt you."

We just stood like that for a long time, holding onto each other, both of us emotionally drained and dog tired. When I looked up at him, he kissed me gently and took my hand, leading me through the house and up to bed. There wouldn't be any balls to the wall or wild make-up sex tonight. We just held onto each other, lost in our own thoughts. Birds were chirping when I finally drifted off.

It was the middle of the afternoon when I finally made it downstairs and stumbled into the kitchen, plopping down in a chair across the table from Joe, both my eyes tightly shut. I laid my head on the table and only raised it when Joe wrapped my hand around a mug of coffee. He knew better than to talk to me before I had my first cup. I slurped at it in desperation and after a few minutes, the caffeine kicked in and I could pry my eyes open.

Joe was sitting hunched over the table, tapping his fingers on the stack of papers in front of him… the carbon copies of the itemized lists of 'evidence' that was carted out of the house yesterday. I realized that he was dressed up, his suit jacket hanging over the back of his chair, his tie pulled loose. And he looked worried, real worried.

I knew he wanted to talk about something, and he was waiting until I had my second cup of coffee before he started. Guess he knew I wasn't awake enough to process anything yet. Finally, I just said, "Okay, what is it that you're trying so hard not to tell me?"

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I spent the morning on the phone with my union rep," he took a deep breath, "and he told me I need to get a lawyer. He's pretty sure it's only a matter of time before I'm arrested."

My stomach immediately rolled, and I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat, fighting the urge to bolt for the bathroom. I just nodded because I didn't trust my voice not to crack, and the screaming headache I'd had yesterday came back full force. I had been holding on to the hope that everybody would realize their mistake and this would all just go away. Guess that wasn't going to happen.

"He, uh, recommended a team of criminal defense lawyers that he thought could handle this case. I went to see them while you were asleep."

I squeezed my eyes tight shut so that the tears that were welling up wouldn't slip out. The last thing that Joe needed was me blubbering all over the place. "So what did they say?" I managed to choke out.

He got up from the table and started to pace the length of the kitchen and back. "Okay, look Steph, I know that you're not gonna like this, but like it or not, I'm pretty sure they're on the right track here."

I didn't say anything, just watched him pace, a rock forming in my stomach at what he was going to tell me.

Joe cut right to the chase. "They think the only reason that the Attorney General zeroed in on me as Abruzzi's killer is because of your association with Abruzzi," he took a deep breath before he dropped the other shoe, "and my relationship with you."

"What? I can't believe you're still blaming me? We weren't even together then!" I jumped up and stood in front of him, hands on hips, ready to fight.

He took me by my shoulders and pushed me back down into my chair. "Stephanie, listen to me!" I could hear the aggravation in his voice and that only pissed me off more. "I'm not blaming you, but it's a fact that we have to deal with. The only connection I had with Abruzzi was through you. The lawyers think the AG's office will try to pin this on me by using you. You know, you were in danger and I came to the rescue, I was trying to impress you to get you back. That kind of shit. And now here we are, together again, proving that they could be right."

"So now what do we do?"

"So now I don't _know _what. I have another appointment with them Monday afternoon and they should have a plan worked out by then." He ran his hands through his hair and started pacing again.

A plan! That's what we needed. A plan was a good thing, right?

Joe stopped in front of the sink and looked out the kitchen window. "There's something we haven't ever talked about." He turned his head to look at me, his hands gripping the edge of the sink. "We both know that I didn't kill Abruzzi," he looked back out the window, "and we both know who did."

My heart stuttered in my chest. Joe was right; we'd never talked about it. As far as we knew, only the three of us, Ranger, Joe and me, really knew what had happened to Abruzzi, and Joe had made it perfectly clear that it wasn't a subject for conversation. He was a cop, and he was covering up a crime. He'd be in enough trouble if anybody found out about that. Now that had come back to bite us both in the ass.

I held my hands out helplessly. "We never talked about it either … I mean Ranger and me. Neither one of us ever said a word about it."

"You're not gonna want to hear this," he said on a sigh, "but I think now's the time for you to have that talk with him."

"You want me to go to Ranger and tell him what, exactly, that he needs to confess?" I practically squeaked.

Joe sighed in exasperation. "He needs to know that I'm not taking the fall for him."

"Oh, Jesus, Joe! I really think you should tell him that yourself." I was up and pacing now too. This was getting worse by the minute.

"Yeah, like he'd be real anxious to turn himself in to get me off the hook." Sarcasm dripped from his words.

"And what makes you think he'd do that for me?" I almost yelled it at him.

"Stephanie, the man killed for you. He loves you," Joe said matter-of-factly.

I snorted, "Not at this point he doesn't," I muttered under my breath.

Joe narrowed his eyes and looked at me. "What? Is there something you're not telling me? Something I oughtta know?"

I turned in my chair to look at Joe. "If it had been the other way around, if Ranger had taken Val and me home and you were left to deal with Abruzzi, what would you have done? Would you have handled it the same way?" Joe's eyes held mine for a long second, then slid away. I had my answer. He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair and left, off to I didn't know where.

I just sat with my elbows on the table and my head in my hands, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to say to Ranger. Joe told me that our phones were probably tapped, but I couldn't very well just call Ranger with something like this anyway. I had to talk to him in person, so I had to get to Miami and face him. And I'd have to go alone, because Joe had been ordered not to leave town. Plus he was being tailed everyplace he went. I hoped that I wasn't. I needed to be real careful that I didn't do anything to clue in the AG's office that Ranger was involved. I'd already done enough damage to Joe's life.

Thanks to Tank, I was on Monday night's red eye to Miami on 'confidential RangeMan business', for the benefit of any cops who might be looking. To say that I was nervous was the understatement of the century. If any of the other passengers on the plane complained about it being a bumpy flight, they had me to thank for that. I was absolutely shaking in my shoes at the thought of facing Ranger.

I wasn't able to sleep on the plane, and I'd had enough coffee that I had the shakes from caffeine overload. Ranger had always told me that he was an opportunist and that I shouldn't give any information or advantage to the enemy, so I purposely hadn't worn my RangeMan uniform. I didn't want to give him the advantage of dealing with a lowly employee. I chose a short black skirt with matching jacket, a white silk wrap blouse and peep toe pumps to give me confidence; not just to show off my best assets, honest.

A trip to the airport ladies room to freshen my makeup just confirmed my worst fears. I looked pale and scared. Crap! I might as well just serve myself up to him on a platter like a sacrificial lamb. I pulled out my mascara and slathered on two extra coats … courage in a tube. I added a swipe of whore red lipstick, at least now I was supposed to look pale. That was my story and I was sticking with it!

7:30 am found me at the reception desk in the RangeMan Miami building waiting for the Merry Man who'd take me up to Ranger's office. Somehow or other I knew that Ranger was watching me on the in-house security monitors. I tried to act cool and composed and looked straight into the camera lens. Take that, Ranger! You don't scare me … much.

Ranger stood up when I was escorted into his office, but didn't bother to greet me, just motioned to a guest chair. I sat down, and there were about sixty really long seconds of awkward silence while we just stared at each. My heart hammered in my chest so hard I was sure he could hear it. No matter how long it had been since we had seen each other, that man always had the same effect on me.

He wore his hair loose, longer than I'd ever seen it, and his skin tone was a shade darker; probably from being out in the Miami sun. He was still all in black, but not the normal t-shirt and cargoes. Instead, he was wearing lightweight black dress pants and a black silk shirt, open at the throat, sleeves rolled up. He looked every bit as delicious as he ever did. And I missed him.

Finally, he broke the silence. "You wanted this appointment, Stephanie. What did you want to see me about?"

I looked down at my hands in my lap and cleared my throat. "I guess you know all about the Abruzzi investigation?"

He nodded once, but didn't say anything. He wasn't going to make this easy on me.

"I have to admit that I was pretty scared when the Attorney General's office decided I was their prime suspect," I said with a rueful smile.

Ranger didn't say anything, just sat there with his fingers steepled, watching me, his blank face firmly in place.

"But it's even worse now that they're focused on Joe."

Oh, Ranger was an opportunist alright! He was trying to keep me off balance with this one-sided conversation. But I wasn't going to give him the advantage, so I just plowed right on.

"I wanted you to know that Joe and I haven't said anything to the police about … um … your … involvement in the matter." I could have kicked myself for stumbling over the words.

"And you came more than a thousand miles just to tell me that?" His voice was as emotionless as the expression on his face. "Why?"

"Because …" I licked my lips, "because I can't let Joe go to jail for killing Abruzzi." The words came out of me in a rush.

"So … you what?" He raised an eyebrow, "You came to blackmail me? Threaten to tell the cops if I don't turn myself in to save your boyfriend?" He leaned back in his chair, crossed his long legs and stared at me.

I was on my feet in a heartbeat, my hands flat on his desk, leaning toward him, my nervousness replaced by fury. "I came because I owe you more than I can ever repay. I came because Joe told me that he wouldn't go to jail for something you did. I thought I came to warn you. My mistake. I won't take up any more of your precious time!"

Turning my back on Ranger, I grabbed up my purse and headed for the door. I got about halfway across the room before he caught up with me and grabbed my arm, hauling me around to face him. I was so angry that I was vibrating. Right at that moment I think I hated him, and I yanked my arm away as hard as I could. I actually raised my hand to slap him, but he wrapped his hands around my wrists and, with a growl, backed me against the wall. I struggled against him, but he trapped me by pressing my hands next to my head, holding me there with his weight.

He leaned his body against mine, and I could feel the heat radiating off him. The heady mix of Bulgari and Ranger brought a flood of memories I thought I had banished a long time ago. Our bodies knew each other, craved each other, and I could feel his mouth and his hands on me lighting fires everywhere he touched. I could feel our bodies moving together, my fingernails digging into him, my legs wrapped around him. I could feel him in me and I knew from his ragged breathing that he felt all the same things.

"Tell me!" he murmured, his mouth close to my ear. "Tell me why you came here." His lips skimmed my cheek, my jaw, my neck, his hot breath making me shiver. My eyes drifted shut, and the temptation to give myself over to the sensations that he shot through me was almost overpowering. "Tell me!" he demanded against my mouth.

"Morelli …" I stammered. "I can't let him go to jail, to lose everything …" I managed to gasp out.

He pulled back and studied my face with dark, hooded eyes. "Is that why you came here, Stephanie? You want me to help you clear Morelli?" His voice was cold and flat again.

I tried to keep my face blank, my eyes flat like he had. "Yes."

He stiffened and pushed away from me, stepping back and folding his arms over his chest just staring at me. "I'll consider it," he finally said, all business, and dismissed me, turning back to his desk.

I had my hand on the doorknob when he spoke again. "Stephanie," he said sharply, and I turned to look at him again. "If I do agree to help you, there _will _be a price."

I shouldn't have been surprised that he would ask for payment. I guess he really was the opportunist he always told me he was.

His eyes never left mine as he stalked across the room, closing the distance between us. I fought the sudden need to run. "Are you willing to pay it?" he asked, his eyes searching mine. He reached out to thread his fingers into my hair. Moving still closer, he bent his head down, "No matter what it is?" his lips whispered against my mouth, his hand sliding around to lay on the back of my neck.

I gave him a single nod, agreeing to God only knew what. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me against him, kissing me, hard and greedy. His tongue forced its way into my mouth and his hand tightened on the back of my neck. There was nothing loving or romantic about the kiss and it let me know exactly what he wanted from me.

"It's no wonder Morelli loves you," he whispered to me.

"A long time ago," I said softly, "I had myself convinced that you loved me, too."

"What changed your mind?" he asked.

"When you starve something, Ranger, you kill it. A slow death, maybe, but it always dies."

I saw something in his eyes then, something I couldn't identify … heat… hunger… need, all the same things I felt. At that moment, I realized that no matter what ever happened between us, some part of me would always belong to this man.

I pulled out of his arms and walked out the door.

I had made a big mistake in coming here. I knew what I had to do to protect both Joe and Ranger, and I had to get back to Trenton to do it.

_**TBC …**_

**_Okay, I'm back from vacation and back on track, I hope._**

**_So, do you think Joe will be arrested for Abruzzi's murder? Will Ranger help clear Joe? And what do you think Ranger would demand as payment? How will Joe feel about that? And why do you think Ranger doesn't seem worried about the cop? Has he got an ace up his sleeve? So many questions!!!_**

**_Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed and asked for another chapter. You guys are the best!_**

**_Stayce_**


	8. You Only Hurt The One You Love!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed.**_

_**Warning: Language, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, for putting up with my whining, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship. I really appreciate it … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

Love is always open arms. If you close your arms about love you will find that you are left holding only yourself.  
--Leo Buscaglia

_**WIDFL! 8: You Only Hurt The One You Love!**_

I marched out of RangeMan Miami with my shoulders squared and my head held high. Just in case Ranger was watching, I wasn't about to let him know how shook up I was. Oh, HELL no! I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction!

One of the RangeMen hailed a cab for me and I smiled and thanked him. I stepped into the taxi, gave the Merry Man a little wave, and took off for the airport. Of course, the second I turned the corner and was out of sight of the building, I slumped down in the seat and buried my face in my hands.

I thumped my head against the back of the seat. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I added a couple of mental head slaps to the name calling and thumping. I must have been out of my flipping mind to think that going to Miami to see Ranger would be a good idea! Jeez! I set myself up for that whole, humiliating scene. What made me think that he'd be willing to do me a favor? It turned out to probably be the dumbest thing I ever did in my whole life, and we all know how many dumb things I've got to my credit.

I was more mad at myself then anybody else. I mean, how did I let Joe talk me into facing Ranger? Yeesh! Where was my brain? What the hell was I thinking? Well, see? That was the problem right there! Obviously, I wasn't thinking at all … maybe I was still feeling guilty that Joe was in trouble instead of me, or because of me. Maybe I was just willing to do anything to make it better? Maybe I was a dumbass? No wonder the whole thing turned out to be such a huge disaster.

My return flight wasn't scheduled to leave for hours, so I called Joe, but he didn't answer. I left messages on his cell and the house phone, but he never called back. I was pretty sure he had an appointment with his lawyers that afternoon … probably he was there. Hopefully they'd come up with a plan of action to prove Joe's innocence and he wouldn't be arrested or even charged at all. Then I wouldn't have to figure out exactly how I was gonna ride to the rescue, and we'd all be off the hook, permanently. Between that and trying to find an earlier flight home, and being scared that Joe had already been arrested and that's why he didn't answer the phone, I worried away the afternoon.

By the time my plane landed at Newark Airport, I was exhausted from beating myself up, and all those mental head slaps just gave me a pounding headache. I seemed to be having a lot of those lately. It sure didn't help any that I had been awake for two whole days and couldn't even remember the last time I ate anything. I was so tired I was dizzy, and my stomach was trying to digest itself. About a dozen different emotions were running through me, all at the same time, and none of them were any good. I was frustrated, tired, hungry, humiliated, pissed off, worried, scared, and way beyond fed up! Give me a minute and I'll come up with the rest of them.

I must have been operating on auto pilot because I couldn't even remember the drive home from the airport at all. I just sort of came to when I pulled into the driveway, and practically had to force my body to crawl out of the car and drag itself to the front door. I focused on standing in the shower, finding something to eat, and falling into bed for about a week.

The relief of being home was almost overwhelming. All I could think about was being wrapped in Joe's arms and sobbing out the whole humiliating story to him, and having him tell me that everything would be okay. I was close to tears when I finally stumbled through the front door into the living room … and stopped dead. What the hell?

There was a hockey game on the TV, every surface in the room was covered in Pino's bags and pizza boxes and empty beer and soda cans. There were dirty plates and napkins and half eaten food all over the place. I was pretty sure that it was Bob barf I was seeing on the floor … at least I hoped it was. The cigar smoke was so thick, you could barely see through it. It looked like we really had been vandalized this time.

Stunned, I sort of wandered into the dining room where Joe and half the cops from the station were crammed around the table that was loaded with poker chips and cards, overflowing ash trays … okay, cereal bowls they were using as ashtrays, bottles and cans and glasses and bags of chips. Every step I took, my shoes crunched on the chips and popcorn that littered the floor. I could swear that the girls and I had cleaned up this place the other night.

I must have stood there a full two minutes before anybody noticed me. Carl looked up and saluted me with his beer, "Hiya Steph! Ya want we should deal ya in?"

"Cupcake!" Joe gave me a loopy grin from the far side of the table. Oh, he was feeling no pain! "I didn't know when you were coming home so my buds came to keep me company." He held his arms out to me, "Comere and gimme a kiss!"

I just stared at him for a couple of seconds, then turned on my heel and went upstairs and sat on the edge of the bed. I guess I was waiting for him to follow me, to ask me what happened, to tell me what his lawyers said. I waited, but no Joe. I could hear his voice from downstairs, laughing, joking, upping the ante.

I sat there just long enough for all my exhaustion and hunger and worry to be replaced by anger. He sends me off to beard the lion in his den while he has a party? He never even returned my phone calls! What the hell was that all about? Okay, seriously pissed off here!

I needed to get out of there. Not only was there no way I could sleep with all that racket downstairs, there was no way I could sleep there at all. So, I went to my nice, neat, organized closet and pulled out a carry-all. I loaded up a nightshirt, extra clothes, my RangeMan uniform and equipment, my hair stuff, makeup … you know, the bare essentials, and took off for my parents' house. If I wasn't gonna sleep, at least I wasn't gonna sleep in peace and quiet. Oh, and before you ask, no … nobody noticed that I left.

When I got there, the lights were on in the kitchen, so I was pretty sure my mom was still awake. I pulled up the driveway and parked under the kitchen windows so she'd hear the noise and I wouldn't scare her when I came in the house. I had just gotten out of the car when the back porch light came on and she stuck her head out the back door.

"Stephanie," she whispered. "What are you doing here at this hour? What's the matter? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Mom. Everything's fine. It's poker night and Joe's playing host. I couldn't take the noise and the smoke, so here I am. Is it okay for me to spend the night?"

"Well of course it is!" Mom ushered me through the door. "Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?"

"I'm starving, but don't bother. I'll just raid the fridge."

Once we were inside in the brightly lit kitchen, she took a good look at me. "Sit down; you look like you're going to fall over."

I dropped my duffle by the door and plopped down at the table while my Mom got busy at the stove. We hadn't talked a lot about Joe being suspended or being a murder suspect. I figured after the shock and humiliation of having a daughter playing the role of prime suspect, my parents had had enough excitement.

"Where did you go today that you're all dressed up like that? You look very nice for a change."

Only my mother could compliment you and insult you in the same sentence. It was a gift, I guess. "I had to fly to Miami to go to the RangeMan office there. I took care of business and turned around and flew back. It's been a long day." Oh, come on! Don't roll your eyes at me! I told her the truth! Most of it.

Mom came over and put a mug of hot chocolate in front of me. "Whipped cream or marshmallows?" That was a pretty tough choice when I was a kid. "Or both?" She gave me a small smile. One thing my mother understood was comfort food.

"Just whipped cream, I'm watching my weight." I swear she almost chuckled and loaded the top of my cup with a mountain of Reddi-Whip. She even left the can on the table.

"I heard that the girls helped you clean up the house after that awful police search," she said from the stove. "You have good friends, dear, bringing all that food and staying so late." She turned to face me, hand on hip. "But where was Joseph while the women were doing all the work?"

The Burg grapevine didn't miss a trick. "He was pretty upset, Mom. He drove down the Shore and walked on the beach until he calmed down. It really was better that he wasn't there to see the mess. He woulda flipped out."

She harrumphed. "Well," my mother said with a small, satisfied twitch of her lips, "at least Angie Morelli won't be riding her high horse again any time soon!"

"What do you mean?" I eyed her suspiciously as I licked off my whipped cream moustache. Of all the things my mother wasn't, snide was one of them.

Like any good Burg Girl, my mother rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh, a few weeks ago, Angie and Bella had an awful lot to say about what a saint Joseph was for having a murder suspect living with him. And," she added as she came back over to the table, "they said it all over town." I had to snort. I could only imagine what else they had been saying about me.

Mom put a bowl of cream of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich in front of me. Didn't I tell you she understood comfort food? She got herself a cup of tea and the box of oyster crackers for my soup, and sat down across from me.

"So what, exactly, did they say about me?" I really wanted to know what had gotten Mom's back up like that.

She waved her hand, "That's not important. But she belittled you, Stephanie, in an effort to make Joseph look better. If she really thought that he was so perfect, she wouldn't need to do that, now would she?" My mother calmly sipped her tea.

Was my mother actually standing up for me? I couldn't really be sure, but it sounded like it. Nah, this was my mother we were talking about. "Well, that's just Angie for you," I said kind of lamely and swallowed a spoonful of soup.

Mom took another sip of her tea and carefully put the cup back on the saucer, primly folding her hands in her lap. "Stephanie," she started, then stopped, like she was trying to choose her words. I just munched my grilled cheese and waited.

Mom cleared her throat and started again. "Stephanie, I know we've never been a family that discusses personal matters," she hesitated, her eyes flicking toward me, and then back down at her hands. "But your father and I were talking, and we're worried about you." She shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

Holy Shit! The last time my mother and I talked about personal stuff was when I got my first period. That was a while ago! I looked around for an escape route, but I was too late. "Your father and I think that you should break off your relationship with Joseph," the words came out in a rush. "It isn't like you're engaged or planning a wedding or anything, so it wouldn't be a big deal." With a big sigh of relief, she sat back in her chair and calmly picked up her tea cup again.

I, on the other hand, decided to choke myself to death and inhaled half a grilled cheese sandwich. Who was this woman and what had she done with my mother? I shot a quick glance toward the pantry and wondered if I went in there, would I find a body snatcher pod.

"Wait!" I managed to wheeze out after I stopped coughing and could finally breathe again. "I thought you thought that Morelli was my last chance at the perfect Burg marriage?" I gaped at her, wide eyed. "I thought you wanted me to settle down with him and be the perfect Burg housewife and have kids and wash windows … and … and … stuff!" My vision went blurry and I had a sharp pain in my head. I was sure I was having a stroke.

"Well, yes, Stephanie. I did. But I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm not perfect. He was obviously the wrong choice." She leaned across the table toward me. "Stephanie, he's a murder suspect... again! Even if he's cleared, there will always be that cloud over his head. What would the neighbors say?"

Oh, thank God! There was the mom I knew and loved. I got worried there for a minute. My mother picked up her napkin and reached across the table to wipe whipped cream off my face.

"How many times have you told me that Morelli was my last hope? When we got back together again, Dad practically had to physically restrain you from booking the Polish/American Hall. I'll bet you're still working on the guest list." My mother flushed a bright pink but didn't look at me. "And now you're telling me that you're gonna be happy having an unmarried daughter?"

My mother gave a derisive little snort. "Don't be silly, Stephanie. We'll just have to find you someone else. How about that nice Cuban boy, Carlos?"

Okay, no stroke. I was hallucinating. I was having an LSD flashback. Oh wait. I never tried LSD. I was going insane, that's what it was … insanity. I had totally lost it and little men in white jackets were going to come and cart me off to a rubber room someplace.

I shook my head to clear it. Owwww! Big mistake. "But you said he looked like a thug!!" I squeaked.

"Stephanie Plum! You know very well that looks can be deceiving. Don't be so judgmental!" She tsk-ed at me and went to refill her tea cup.

My mouth hung open as I watched this woman, who looked like my mother, move around the kitchen. She wanted to marry me off to Ranger? If the whole idea hadn't been so bizarre, it would have been hysterical and I fought the maniacal laugh that was bubbling up in my chest. I was obviously having a breakdown or an aneurysm or a psychotic episode or something.

I put a finger to my twitching eye and tried some yoga breathing to calm myself down. Well, that didn't work, so I got up and went straight to the pantry and peeked in. Nope, no pod and no Jack Daniels either. All I could find was a bottle of peppermint schnapps left over from last Christmas. That'd have to do. I used it to top off my hot chocolate and all but chugged it down. Mom added a healthy dollop to her tea, and we both felt better.

By the time my mother and I had finished cleaning up the kitchen, the bottle of schnapps was empty and I couldn't seem to remember how to get up the stairs. I don't think my mother was in much better shape and we giggled as we stumbled around. I pretty much dropped my clothes and crawled into bed, and whether it was the exhaustion, or the schnapps, or the security of being in my old bed, I slept better than I had in weeks.

It was close to noon when I finally hauled my ass out of bed. At least I had slept off the worst of the schnapps hangover. I did a lot of thinking while I showered and dressed, and decided that it was time to go have a real heart to heart with Joe. I couldn't escape my mother's clutches, though, and since food equaled love in this house, she made me a traditional, heart attack on a plate, New Jersey brunch … a pork roll and egg sandwich with all the fixin's. At least the orange juice was healthy. Mom kissed me on the cheek as I left; I guess that was because I didn't have room for the coffee cake, so the PDA evened it out. Still, I was gonna have to check the basement for that body snatcher pod.

When I got to Joe's, the windows were all open, to air out the cigar smoke, I guess, and I could hear Bob barking at the vacuum cleaner. I went in the kitchen door and stifled a grin. There were a couple of bags of garbage, all neatly tied up, the dishwasher was running, and there was a fresh pot of coffee. I poured myself a cup and went through to the living room just in time to watch Joe finish vacuuming under the sofa cushions. Any other time, that would have been a huge turn on and I would have SO jumped his bones. I mean, come on! A man doing housework? How sexy is that? Unfortunately, we had some serious stuff to take care of first.

"Looks pretty good in here," I said by way of greeting when he turned off the vacuum.

"Yeah, well, I figured I couldn't leave you with another mess to clean up," he said with a sheepish grin as he wrapped the cord around the machine and stowed it in the hall closet.

"Smart man," I replied with a snort.

We went back into the kitchen and he poured himself a cup of coffee, holding up the pot to see if I wanted more. I just shook my head 'no' and sat at the table. "You stay at your Mom's last night?" he asked without looking at me.

"Yeah." I didn't figure he needed an explanation of why.

"Sorry about that," he said softly. I just nodded, putting an end to that whole touchy subject. This was no time to have a fight.

Joe cleared his throat. "So, how did it go with Manoso yesterday?" He leaned against the kitchen counter and sipped his coffee, his cop face on.

I flopped back in my chair and blew out a deep breath of frustration. "Ohhhh, not so good. The whole thing just kinda backfired on me. He thought I was there to blackmail him, that I was threatening to go to the cops unless he agreed to turn himself in or something. I don't think I was able to convince him that I wasn't, but I don't think it matters much anyway." I shrugged. "He told me he'd _'consider'_ helping. I pretty much took that as a 'no'."

I really didn't see any need to tell Joe about Ranger's 'price' thing. It would only make the situation worse. And since I was pretty sure that Ranger wasn't gonna volunteer to fall on his own sword just to get Joe off the hook, it really didn't matter anyway. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

"Don't beat yourself up. It was worth a try, Steph." He turned and rinsed his cup, putting it in the dish rack.

"So what did your lawyers have to say? They come up with anything?" Guess I was hoping for some good news for a change.

Joe heaved a sigh and leaned against the kitchen counter. "For starters, they're pretty sure that the DA is trying to build a case around '_my motive_' for killing Abruzzi … you." I could hear the exasperation in his voice. "You know, that I was trying to protect you, or impress you, or win you back… that I did it for _love._" He put both hands over his heart dramatically, then snorted in disgust.

"Oh that's just swell!" I said sarcastically. "So what are we supposed to do about that? Do they have a plan?"

He ran his hands through his hair, and started to pace the kitchen. That's what he always did when he knew I wasn't going to like what he had to say. I braced myself and waited. "The lawyers think that you and I should split up. They want _me_ to dump _you_. It should look like just one more episode in our pattern of on again-off again. Kinda like business as usual for us." He hesitated a few seconds. "They think I need to 'distance' myself from you." He made little air quotes.

"Wait! What?" I all but yelled. I'm sure my eyebrows flew up to my hairline. I really wasn't expecting that! I did the goldfish routine for a minute, then asked, "Distance yourself? Why?"

"So the DA can't use the 'I did it for love' motive against me." He heaved out a huge breath. "And it gets worse. The DA is gonna present the case to the Grand Jury some time next week. That means they have to have some kind of evidence. Steph, if they get an indictment … I'm going to jail."

"No, no, no!" I refused to hear what he was saying. "What kind of evidence could they possibly have against you? Motive isn't enough, even opportunity isn't … there are no fingerprints, no DNA, no smoking gun, no nothing! If they were going to suspect everybody who had a bone to pick with Abruzzi, the list would look like the Manhattan phone book." I was babbling and I knew it, but I just couldn't seem to stop myself.

"Stephanie," Joe said quietly from across the room, but I just kept on going.

"They can't convict you on circumstantial evidence, can they? What could there be to connect you to the crime? I mean, you're a good cop. Look at your record, it's clean. I'm gonna call Vinnie and make sure he's on board for the bail, just in case. He knows you're good for it with this house and all, and…"

"Stephanie, STOP!" he said loudly enough for me to shut up and look up at him. "There's only one thing left for us to do," he said quietly.

Joe came over and pulled out a chair, sitting down across from me. Reaching across the table, he took my hands in both of his, running small circles on the back of my hands with his thumbs. He didn't look at me, just lifted my hands one at a time and kissed the palms, not something he did very often.

I had no idea what he was going to say, but the way he was acting was really scaring me, "Joe, please. Just tell me what it is!"

He ran his hands through his hair again, then blew out a deep breath and inhaled another one, like he was steeling himself against what he was going to say. "I think," his eyes flicked to mine, "I think you have to go to Malfitano and Rinaldi and tell them that Manoso's killed Abruzzi. He didn't leave us any other choice."

I froze for a second, then wrenched my hands out of his and pulled back from him. My stomach lurched and bile burned my throat. I jumped up so fast I knocked my chair over as I bolted out the back door and down the steps into the yard. Standing there, bent over, leaning against the back of the house while my stomach churned, I tried to concentrate on not being sick, not on what Morelli wanted me to do.

Joe followed me out of the house and put his hand on my back. "Steph, what else can we do?"

I shrugged off his hand and backed away from him, wrapping my arms around myself. Suddenly I was so cold I was shivering. "You can't ask me to do that, Joe." I just kept shaking my head 'no' at him.

Joe put his hands on my shoulders, holding me in place. "Stephanie, you don't understand. There isn't any other way out. There aren't any other options."

I twisted away from him. "No, YOU don't understand. This really is all my fault. Ranger kil … he … he risked everything to protect me! Is this how I thank him? By turning him in to the police? Abruzzi's dead because of me, this is on MY head." I was pretty close to hysterical now, sobbing so hard I could barely get the words out.

"So what are you saying? That I'm supposed to keep my mouth shut and go up on a murder one rap because you have some kind of loyalty to Manoso?" His voice was getting tighter, anger creeping into it.

I held up my hands. "Stop it! Just stop it! There has to be some other way! If the roles were reversed …" I was practically begging now.

"That's just it, Stephanie," sarcasm dripped from each word. "The roles could never be reversed because I don't solve my problems by pulling a gun!"

He turned and walked away from me, then stopped, like he had thought of something. He turned around slowly and looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time.

"Is there something going on between the two of you? Are you still hung up on him?"

His words hit me like a slap. "What?" I looked at him in shock. "How could you say that?"

"Jesus, Stephanie! You're willing to throw me to the sharks to save him. You can't make a choice. What am I supposed to think?"

He took a couple of steps toward me and I just backed away from him until I hit the fence. I fumbled with the latch on the gate, stumbled through and ran down the driveway. I was crying so hard that I could barely see, and my hands shook so badly I couldn't get the keys into the ignition. Joe followed me to the sidewalk and tried to open the passenger door. I hit the locks and the gas at the same time, and roared away from the curb, almost clipping a car parked in front of me. I left Joe in the street, yelling for me to come back.

I drove around Trenton pretty aimlessly while I tried to calm down. My brain was going a mile a minute and I needed to find a little peace and quiet so I could sort out all the things going through my head. Finally, I just pulled over and parked on a side street, not even paying any attention to where I was. I sat there for hours, going over and over all the things that Joe had said. How was I supposed to make a choice?

Even though Ranger and I weren't even friends anymore, a part of me still loved him and I owed him more than I could ever repay. From the day we met he'd supported and encouraged me. When everybody else was telling me how to live my life and giving me grief, he stood behind me and my decisions. He bailed my ass out of trouble more times than I could count. He lent me cars and Merry Men, and bled money to protect me. He gave me jobs when I couldn't pay my bills, and never asked for anything in return. I could still hear his voice, telling me that there was no price on what we gave each other. He had killed to keep me safe. How was I supposed to make him pay for that?

And then there was Joe. He was one of the few constants in my life, even if it was almost always on again/off again. We shared so much more than just a bed. He'd been part of my past, he was my present, and quite possibly he would share my future. No matter what happened between us, he'd always be a part of my life, too. I loved him. There was no way I could let his life be stolen away while he sat in jail either.

I knew what I had to do. Really, I had known all along and was just too chicken shit to actually do it. But Joe was right. There were no other options now and it was time for me to woman up. I actually felt a weight lift off me after I made the decision. I had some homework to do before I went to see Rinaldi and Malfitano, and a lot of things to put in order before _I_ went to jail for killing Abruzzi.

It was dark now and I decided to go to my parents' house for the night again. I reached for the key to turn on the car just as somebody rapped on my passenger side window, making me shriek in surprise. I dark shape walked around the front of the car and bent down while I fumbled for the gun in my purse. "Are you okay, Bombshell?" Tank demanded.

I rolled down my window. "Jesus Christ, Tank. What the hell are you doing here? You scared the crap outta me."

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I work here. We've been watching you for hours, waiting for you to come in. What's going on?"

I finally looked around and realized with a jolt that I was parked in front of the RangeMan building. I wondered what Freud would have said about this slip. I always ran to Ranger when I was in trouble. Here I was again.

Tank was looking at me funny, and I don't mean ha-ha funny either. "Come on Steph, I think you ought to come inside."

"No thanks, I'll be fine. Honest." I tried to give him a bright smile, but didn't think I did so good.

He reached in the window, popped the lock, and pulled the door open. "Shove over, I'm going to dinner and you know how much I hate to eat alone."

I knew no such thing about Tank. That man could eat anywhere, anytime, anyplace, with or without company. But I slid over to the passenger seat anyway. Ten minutes later, we were at Shorty's, the scene of all of our heart to hearts. I headed straight for the ladies' room, pretty sure I looked like hell after my crying jag. There was nothing much I could do about my red swollen eyes, but the rest of me cleaned up pretty good.

By the time I made it to the booth, there was a pitcher of beer and a frosty mug with my name on it, filled and waiting for me. I was probably dehydrated from all that crying, so I sucked it down. "So," Tank said as he refilled my mug, "you gonna tell me what's going on?"

"Just an all around bad day, Tank." I gave him a rueful smile. I was sure he already knew all about my little chat with Ranger.

"You and the cop have a fight?" he asked over the rim of his mug.

"Among other things," I said with a shrug. "Made a lot of decisions today, too."

"You gonna tell me?" He arched an eyebrow at me.

I had to admit that it would feel wonderful to pour out all my problems to Tank. I mean, the man did have a serious streak of teddy bear running through him. The trouble was that first and foremost he was Ranger's friend. He'd spill all my secrets to Ranger the first chance he got. "Well, one of 'em." I took another big gulp of liquid courage. "I won't be coming back to RangeMan."

Tank just eyed me and hmmm-ed, which from him, sounded like a bear growling. "You sure?" he rumbled.

Yeah, I was pretty sure that the New Jersey Penal System wasn't gonna let me keep that job anyway. "Look, after that meeting with Ranger, I know I can't stay here, Tank."

The waitress brought the food Tank ordered… a whole Special pie for me and everything else on the menu for himself. The man could eat! I pulled out a slice, folded it in half, and took a bite, wrapping the stringing cheese around and around the slice. Probably this would be my last ever pizza. I might as well enjoy it.

"So, you gonna go back to Vinnie's?" Tank asked around a huge bite of veal parmigiana sub.

"I won't need a job now," the words just tumbled out of my mouth. Shit! I shouldn't have said that. Tank was looking at me funny again, like he could read my mind.

"Well, I'm gonna spend some time with Joe," I babbled, trying to back peddle. "He's going up before the Grand Jury next week, and I thought it'd be like a show of support. You know, so he's not alone and stuff."

"Uh-hunh!" Tank was still studying me, his eyes narrowed, not buying a word of it. I couldn't look at him. I mean, he knew I was lying and I could feel the flush that rose in my cheeks. I just grabbed another slice of pizza and stuffed it in my mouth.

Tank reached across the table and snagged my wrist. "Stephanie, give me your word that you'll talk to me first, before you do anything … drastic."

He meant stupid, but was too smart to say it. "I don't know what you're talking about, Tank." I tried to look innocent, but we all knew what a lousy actress I was. Hell! I couldn't even look him in the eye.

"Stephanie!" I could hear the threat in his voice.

I sighed, trapped. "Fine! Yes! You got it! Just drop it now, okay." No way was I telling him anything, not now, not ever!

"As long as I have your word!" Damn! The man just wouldn't back down.

We finished eating and I took him back to RangeMan. He continued to fish, but I refused to bite. As he got out of the car and helped me into the driver's seat, he reminded me, "Remember Steph, you gave me your word." Like I could ever forget!

"Yes Dad, and I'll be home by midnight, too!" He called me a smartass and kissed me good-bye. I headed off to my parents' again. Both Morelli and I needed to cooling off.

I also needed to do some homework. After all, I couldn't just walk into Malfitano and Rinaldi's office and say, "I did it. I killed Abruzzi!" and expect them to believe me. I had to be able to give them details, details that I didn't have. I turned to Connie for help. She had relatives and connections all over town. I had to fork over five hundred bucks to Connie's fourth cousin Guido, but I got a copy of Abruzzi's whole file. Of course Con had no idea why I really wanted the information, she thought I was snooping around, trying to help Joe out. She just didn't know how!

Anyway, I figured I'd start memorizing the facts and I even worked up a pretty good story for how I had lured Abruzzi to the Farmer's Market parking lot. When I was a suspect, Rinaldi had said that if Abruzzi had threatened or attacked me and I killed him, then that would be self defense. I was gonna give that a try. It sounded a whole lot better than premeditated murder.

It took a few days, but Joe and I finally called a truce and I went back to his house. We agreed that I wouldn't go to Rinaldi and Malfitano to tell them that Ranger had killed Abruzzi until we found out whether or not the Grand Jury would issue an indictment against Joe. If they did, then I'd go to the cops. Joe didn't have any idea that I'd be turning _myself _in, not Ranger, and I was gonna make sure he didn't find out anything until I was behind bars.

A couple of days later, Joe asked me to run a few errands for him while he was stuck at home waiting for a call from his lawyers. I jumped on it because it gave me a chance to get out of the house and study that Abruzzi report in private. I didn't want to take any chances that Joe would find out what I was doing, so I'd been going to the donut shop every day to read it over and work out my plan. So off I went.

I got the new wiper blades put on his truck at Auto Zone, and was headed over to the cleaners on Hamilton to pick up his suit and dress shirts when I realized I had left the dry cleaner's ticket on the kitchen table. I was only a couple of blocks from the house, so I headed back there.

I turned the corner and slammed on the brakes. Parked in front of the house was a big, shiny, black Mercedes. Ranger? What the hell was Ranger doing here? And why the hell did Joe feel the need to get me out of the house? Well guess what? I wasn't staying out.

I hacked a U turn and drove around the block, parking on the next street. I cut through the yards, sneaked in the unlocked kitchen door, and slid into the dining room. Ranger was sitting in the armchair, leaning back, legs crossed, relaxed. He was dressed in a charcoal grey suit with a blue shirt and a diagonal stripe tie. Corporate Ranger to the teeth. Joe stood in front of the TV, arms crossed over his chest, his body language telling me that every nerve ending was on alert.

Whatever was going on, I was pretty sure this wasn't just a pleasant chat. I moved closer to the doorway and plastered myself against the wall so I could hear what they were saying. I peeked around the doorway, hoping that they'd be so focused on each other, they wouldn't notice me. I wondered how much of the conversation I had missed … obviously, the pleasantries. I watched, fascinated, as they circled and sparred, testing each other.

"You're using Stephanie to do your dirty work," Ranger said, his voice tinged with disgust.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Joe snapped. He stood with his arms folded over his chest and his feet spread.

"Stephanie didn't want to go to Miami, did she? She didn't want to ask for my help, either. But she swallowed her pride and did both because you asked her to. You could have saved her that. All you had to do was pick up the phone and call me yourself. But you didn't." The accusation was clear in Ranger's voice.

"I'm not stupid, Manoso. I know how you feel about her. And yeah, I knew she'd have more influence with you than I would. It was a smart tactical move on my part. But I didn't do it to hurt her."

It hurt to hear Joe admit that he used me to get to Ranger. It honestly never occurred to me that he would do that. Still, if I was in the same position, who knows what I'd be willing to do?

"You used her, Morelli. You know she feels guilty and you're taking advantage of that," Ranger shot back.

Joe sneered. "I'll tell you what I know. I know that you killed Abruzzi in cold blood and staged it to look like a suicide. I don't care what your reasons were. I know that you're too much of a coward to stand up and take responsibility. And I know that I'm not taking the rap for you."

"So now what? Are you going to turn me in? Did you ask Stephanie to do that too?" Sarcasm dripping from every word. He was baiting Joe.

Joe gave Ranger a cold smile. "Well, that would be the logical next step."

Ranger looked at Joe and returned the smile. "Yes, except for one little thing. I was questioned weeks ago and provided an iron clad alibi that the cops have thoroughly investigated. I've officially been dismissed from the list of possible suspects." Ranger shrugged casually. "The Attorney General himself apologized for inconveniencing me."

Joe's surprise was obvious. "That doesn't mean you didn't do it," he spat, anger creeping into his voice.

Ranger countered. "No, but trying to blame me would just look like a pathetic attempt by a desperate man trying to get himself out of trouble." The two of them openly glared at each other, their mutual dislike and distrust plain.

But all I could do was thank God. Ranger had covered his ass. I should have known he would cover his tracks. Relief washed over me and made my knees so weak, I all but slid down the wall and landed on the floor.

"So what the hell are you here for anyway? You just come to gloat?" Joe demanded and sat on the couch, facing Ranger.

"I came to make you an offer," Ranger said coolly.

"What?" Joe eyed him suspiciously.

"I'm willing to prove that you're innocent." Ranger tossed out.

I couldn't believe my ears! Ranger was going to help after all. Part of me was so relieved that I was almost in tears. Ranger didn't make idle promises. If he promised something, he always delivered. I wiped away the tears that were leaking down my cheeks.

"Why?" Joe narrowed his eyes and studied Ranger.

"Why do you think?" Ranger said with a shrug.

"So just like that, you're gonna get me off the hook?" Joe was still skeptical.

"Not quite. I'll expect payment," Ranger stated matter-of-factly.

Morelli snorted. "I should have known. So, what's this gonna cost me, huh?"

I watched as Ranger stood up from the chair and buttoned his suit jacket. Morelli stood up, too, and Ranger moved over until they were almost toe to toe, eye to eye.

"Stephanie."

_**TBC …**_

_**So, tell me what you think. Will Joe take Ranger up on his offer? How do you think Steph will react to this 'Deal'? And why do you think Ranger is doing this???**_

_**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed, I really appreciate it. I'm going to really, really try to post every two weeks, and keep this story moving along!**_

_**Here's wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving with lots of food, family, and football!**_

_**Stayce**_


	9. Why? Because I Love You!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, for pep talks, and suggestions, and putting up with my whining, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship. I really appreciate it … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

If you love someone you would be willing to give up everything for them, but if they loved you back they'd never ask you to.

Anonymous

Chapter 9: Why? Because I Love You!

'Stephanie'? Me? Ranger wanted me? I was the price for his help? All that lovely relief I had felt just seconds ago suddenly evaporated into thin air, replaced by the wave of outrage that washed over me. What the hell did he think I was, a car that Joe could just sign over the title on? Who the hell did he think _he _was that he could just demand _me_?

Okay, okay! I guess maybe I expected another de Chooch deal, but I thought it'd be a private arrangement, not that he'd go to Joe with it. I'll admit that when he told me there would be a price, I got a little flutter of lust in the pit of my stomach. Not that Joe's any slouch in that department, but Ranger and I can make magic together.

And Joe, the louse! He went straight to the top of my shit list, too. How dare he manipulate me into going to Miami and humiliate myself by asking for Ranger's help! All he had to do was pick up the damn phone and call Ranger himself. If he had been up front with me, told me he thought there was a better chance that Ranger would do _me_ a favor, well, I probably would have gone anyway. Who the hell did he think _he_ was, using me like that?

I was so furious that I was shaking. It took every ounce of control I had not to march into that living room and tell them just exactly what I thought of them! At that point I could have happily killed them both. It sure would've made me feel a whole lot better and it certainly would've solved all my problems… well, except that I really would have been guilty of murder, of course. But if I could get an all female jury, probably I could plead temporary insanity and they'd let me off, 'cause let's face it, those two were driving me nuts!

Okay, so murder wasn't really an option. All I could do was stand there, plastered against the wall, listening to them sniping at each other and watching their pissing contest.

Shock and then anger registered on Joe's face. "What the hell do you mean, 'Stephanie'?" he snarled. "You want Stephanie as payment for proving me innocent of a murder you committed?"

Ranger's shoulders shook in silent laughter. "You conveniently forget one little point, Morelli."

"What are you talking about? What point?" Confusion laced his voice.

Ranger smiled full out. "Since you knew exactly what I intended to do and you didn't make a move to stop me, under the law, that makes you guilty of complicity. If I'm guilty, you are too, so you can drop the innocent act. It might work on Stephanie, but not on me."

"You son of a bitch!" Joe raised his hands and curled them into fists, taking a step toward Ranger.

Ranger calmly glanced down at Joe's fisted hands, then back at his face. "That wouldn't be a wise move, Morelli. You really don't want to piss me off. I'm offering you a proposition that will give us both what we want. You get your life back and I get Stephanie."

Joe dropped his hands to his sides. "It's not a proposition, it's blackmail! I always said you were a crazy bastard, Manoso, but if you think I'd take you up on something like this, you really are out of your fucking mind!"

"Your choice. What's it worth to you to walk away a free man?" Ranger said evenly.

Joe shook his head in disbelief and gave a derisive snort. "I always knew you had a thing for her… you've been trying to get in her pants for years. You think that I don't know that you come sniffing around whenever we get together? Or that you disappear when we break up? This is just a game to you. You don't really want her; you just don't want me to have her either."

"Well, you tell yourself whatever you like. Just remember, people aren't exactly lined up to help you out. When opportunity knocks …" He left the rest unsaid.

"What makes you think I'd agree to a stunt like this? You think I'd just hand her over to the likes of you?" Joe's mouth twisted in disgust. "For all your expensive clothes and cars, under it all you're just a thug, a mercenary!" Joe ground out through clenched teeth.

"Sticks and stones, Morelli. Doesn't change the facts. I'm here because Stephanie asked me to help you." He gave Joe a wry smile. "You're the one who said I was a mercenary. You really wouldn't expect a mercenary to work for free, now would you?"

"You're really are a goddamned lunatic if you think I'd ever go along with this scheme! And even if _I _did, what about Stephanie?"

"Leave her out of it, this isn't her decision. I'm offering _you_ this deal; _you _decide whether or not to take it. This is between you and me, just us, man to man. We each have something the other wants. It's as simple as that … an even trade."

"Always the opportunist, huh, Manoso? Just sitting back and waiting for a chance to try to get her away from me."

"I'm not going to argue my motives with you, Morelli. I've never tried to hide the fact that I was an opportunist," Ranger said with a shrug. "I could always just wait for you to be arrested. I could move in on her then, and make her forget all about you, and you know it!"

"You have the morals of a tom cat," Joe growled at him. "You think I don't know what goes on in that alley by Vinnie's… all the times you dragged her back there into the shadows to play your little pat and tickle games? This is the Burg for Christ sake! Everybody knows!" He gave Ranger a smug grin. "You wanna know why I've never said anything about it? Why it never bothered me? Because she leaves you in the shadows where you belong, and it's my bed she shares every night. I'm the one she spreads her legs for. I'm the one who gets to fuck her," he sneered.

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "That's not how I would describe that particular pleasure," he said, baiting Joe.

Joe snorted, "One you'll never know. Stephanie would never go for one of your deals!"

Ranger turned toward the door, a smirk on his face, and my heart dropped to my feet. If Joe noticed Ranger's expression, he'd be sure to question it. I had to clap a hand over my mouth to keep from yelling at them and giving myself away.

"She already has."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Joe demanded.

The silence was deafening. My heart stopped beating, and I forgot how to breathe. Oh God! Ranger wouldn't tell Joe about the de Chooch deal, would he? He wouldn't tell Joe that I had already accepted one of his deals and had traded my body for his help. He wouldn't do that … he wouldn't betray me by telling Joe. My stomach rolled at the thought.

I pushed away from the wall, but before I could get into the living room, Ranger was answering Joe's question. "When she came to Miami I made it clear that my help carried a price. She agreed to pay it, whatever it was."

"You're full of shit, Manoso! She'd never agree to anything like that!"

"Why don't we ask her?" Ranger hadn't given any indication that he knew I was there, but still, he walked into the dining room and held out his hand to me. I just stood there slumped against the wall, frozen, staring at his hand. I felt like my feet were nailed to the floor and I couldn't have moved if my life depended on it. Ranger came closer and put his hand on the small of my back, nudging me gently into the living room.

Joe was surprised, though. He obviously had no idea I had been listening. I'm no good at hiding my emotions, so I guess both of them could see the shock and anger and disappointment and fear that I was feeling. Joe blew out a breath and looked at the floor, Ranger wore his blank face. Big surprise!

"Did you?" Joe asked me, his voice tight.

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out, so I just gave him one of Ranger's almost imperceptible nods. Joe ran his hands through his hair and turned away to look out the front window. We all just stood there for a minute, silent.

"And just exactly what is that _price_?" Joe finally asked.

I shook my head and lifted a shoulder. Ranger had said there would be a price, but he never named it.

Ranger didn't even look at me. He was talking to Joe, totally ignoring me, as if I wasn't even there. "Stephanie will move into the penthouse." My eyes shot to his, but they were flat and cold, like a shark's. Corporate Ranger, the consummate businessman, didn't give any inkling of what he was feeling, _if _he was feeling anything at all. This wasn't a negotiation, this was the bottom line.

"She'll work for my company. Eat at my table. Sleep in my bed …"

"NO!" Joe roared. "Get the hell outta my house, you son of a bitch!" Joe tried to grab Ranger by the lapels, but Ranger blocked Joe's hands and shoved him back a couple of steps.

"That's the deal, Morelli. Take it or leave it. The choice is yours." Ranger turned, and without looking at me, walked out the door and down the steps to his car.

I heard the chirp of the door locks on the Mercedes opening, and it was like I had been unlocked, too. Before I realized what I was doing, I had flown out of the house and into the street after him, rage seeping out of every pore on my body. I literally flung myself at Ranger, my teeth bared and my hands curled into claws. I went straight for his face, determined to rip that smug grin right off him.

He spun at the last second and grabbed me by my upper arms, pinning them to my sides and trapping me between his body and the car.

"I hate you!" I snarled at him while I struggled against his hands. "I can't believe I ever thought I was in love with you! I hate you for doing this to me," I hissed at him, literally vibrating with fury.

He shook his head and gave me a grim smile. "The opposite of love isn't hate, Stephanie. The opposite of love is apathy, and you feel anything but indifference toward me. You wouldn't be this angry if there wasn't still something between us."

He slid his fingers down my left arm to my hand and, taking my ring finger between his thumb and forefinger, lifted my hand. "Why haven't you accepted his proposal, Stephanie? Why aren't you wearing his ring?" He rubbed the pad of his thumb over my naked finger. "Tell me, what's keeping you from saying 'Yes' to him?"

His eyes were boring into me, but I refused to answer him, not that I had any answer to give him. I tried to yank my hand away, but he held it too tightly. My breath hitched in my throat, and I was so angry I was afraid I'd start to cry … the final humiliation. "I never want to see you again," came out in a breathless whisper.

Ranger looked past me to where Joe was standing in the doorway. "Oh, but you will, Stephanie. Sooner than you think, you will." To my shock he raised my hand and kissed my ring finger, then bent his head and brushed a soft kiss over my mouth. He dropped his hands from my arms, got into his car, and pulled away leaving me standing in the middle of the street, fuming!

I turned back to the house and saw Joe standing in the doorway, arms folded over his chest, outrage written all over his face. I stomped past him into the living room, headed for the kitchen, and he slammed the door so hard the whole house shook.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he bellowed at me. "You let that bastard kiss you in the middle of the street…"

"Morelli," I yelled right back. "Cut it out! You can be as pissed off at Ranger as you want, but don't you dare try to take it out on me! I'm just as mad, but I'm not working it off on you!" I whirled around and slammed through the swinging door into the kitchen.

In all the months we'd been together, we hadn't had one of our famous fights. Maybe that should be infamous? You know the kind I mean, the ones with the arm waving, yelling, and creative Italian hand gestures. I certainly wasn't in the mood to have one now, but if Morelli thought I was gonna let him work off his unspent Ranger anger on me, he had another thing coming.

Actually, I wasn't in much better shape. I was so furious with both of them I didn't know what to do with myself. I stalked around the kitchen, picked up a coffee cup and put it down again, got a bottle of water out of the fridge and then put it back, paced, wadded up a towel and fired it across the room, muttering under my breath the whole time. I was so mad I wanted to hit something and if Morelli came through the door, he'd be on the top of my list to use as a punching bag.

Rex even came out of his can to watch me stamp around. He twitched his whiskers and gave me _that_ look with his beady little eyes … and I think he arched an eyebrow at me. Another male on my shit list. "What?" I snapped at him. I swear to God he held up his paws in an 'I didn't say a word' gesture and beat a hasty retreat back to his soup can. Too bad that the smartest man in my life had four feet!

I stood staring out into the backyard where Bob was basking in the sunshine, trying to calm myself down so I could wrap my head around everything that had happened. Well, at least now I knew what Ranger's price was, and I had to admit that I really wasn't all that surprised. I kinda expected that's what it would be. That particular deal had worked so well for him the first time around, why shouldn't he try it again? I just never thought he'd go to Morelli with it. That's the part that threw me. I just _couldn't_ figure out why he went to Joe.

I didn't turn around when I heard the door swing open and Joe come into the kitchen. I guess I put the fear of God into him because he just stood on the other side of the room. "You know I'd never take him up on that deal, right?" he said to my back.

"Honestly, Joe?" I said with a deep sigh, "I don't know what I know anymore. I never thought Ranger would do anything like that. I never thought you would use me the way you did." I turned to face him and threw my hands up in frustration. "I'm angry and hurt and scared and so many other things I can't even name them. I feel like a little kid. I want somebody to put their arms around me and tell me not to worry about it, that everything'll be all right." I scrubbed my hands over my face and through my hair. "I just don't know anything anymore."

Joe didn't say a word, but came over and tried to wrap his arms around me. I knew he meant well, but I held out a hand to ward him off. "You can't be the comfort when you're part of the problem, Joe." I wasn't trying to hurt him, but I could tell from the look on his face that I had.

I dug in my pocket for his car keys and handed them to him. "I think you better run the rest of your errands yourself. I need some space." He watched as I went out and got into my own car and drove off. Funny how I'd been needing 'some space' a lot lately. The stress of the whole situation was playing hell with our nerves, and we both seemed to be taking it out on one another.

Driving around always helped me clear my head and calm down. This time, though, I paid real close attention to where I drove. No way was I gonna wind up parked in front of RangeMan again. Jeez! Wouldn't that just be the perfect message to send Ranger?

Instead, I drove to the Quakerbridge Mall and power walked the whole mall a couple of times. The fact that I didn't even buy anything should tell you the state I was in. Hell! I didn't even stop to _look _at the Jimmy Choos that were on sale. As I walked, I ran one scenario after another through my head, visualizing how I'd like to torture Joe and Ranger. I actually found myself smiling at some of the things I came up with. Revenge is sweet, even if it's only make believe.

I decided that since it sounded like Ranger wanted to lock me up at RangeMan like some kind of pet, I'd lock him in a cage like Rex, and only feed him fried food, McDonald's, and birthday cake… no egg white omelets, fat free yogurt, or green stuff. I wouldn't let him have a wheel, either. Nope, no exercise for him! The thought of 'Mr. That Stuff Is Gonna Kill You' living every day feeling his arteries clog up made me all warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe I'd let him waddle away when he weighed five hundred pounds and his heart was ready to explode. If the rat even had a heart.

As for Joe, that one was easy. I'd just let him go to jail for killing Abruzzi. He manipulated me, got me to do what _he_ should have done himself. The louse needed a taste of his own medicine. The prison guards would be more than happy to tell him where to go and what to do and when to do it. A year or so of having someone else control every move he made should be enough, don't you think?

It took a while, but I finally got over my snit. I had to keep reminding myself that nothing Ranger or Joe did was really important. Pretty soon I was gonna be sitting in a jail cell where they could deal and manipulate to their heart's content, and it wouldn't make any difference at all.

No matter how pissed I was at both of them, I was still going through with my plan to confess. I had to, it was my responsibility. It was the only way I could make things right for everybody.

About halfway back to Morelli's house, I realized that I had picked up a tail. It was following a block behind me, and probably had been all the way from the mall parking lot, but I hadn't noticed. Since it was a big, black, shiny SUV, I wasn't particularly worried. Pissed? Yeah. Worried? No. Ranger probably wanted to make sure that I didn't try to escape, just in case Joe took him up on the deal. Bastard!

I walked through the house, looking for Joe and found him in the backyard, throwing a ball for Bob. I grabbed a couple of beers and sat out on the back steps, watching them, Joe grim faced and Bob in his glory. Something was up.

Without turning around, Joe finally said, "Your friend Linda, the court reporter called. She said she sneaked a look at the court clerk's schedule and the Prosecutor will be presenting my case to the Grand Jury tomorrow." He looked down at the ball he was turning in his hand. "Looks like this is it, Steph." He threw the ball one last time and finally turned to look at me. I saw such pain in his eyes that, in a heartbeat, I was off the steps and had my arms around him.

"Don't worry, Joe," I told him, running my hand soothingly up and down his back. "Everything'll be all right. I promise." Wasn't it ironic that I should be saying the same words to Joe that I wanted someone to say to me?

He kissed me on the top of the head and blew out a deep breath. "How about we make a night of it. I'll call Rossini's for reservations, and we'll dress up and eat and dance and have ourselves a night to remember." He stepped back and looked at me, forcing a smile. "I'm sick and tired of hiding in the house waiting for the axe to fall. Let's go have some fun!"

And that's just what we did. The fact that half the patrons at Rossini's openly stared at us, whispering behind their hands, didn't put a damper on our night. Much as I love Rossini's food, I couldn't tell you what I ate or even _if _I ate. But we drank wine and danced and held each other close. When we finally got home we spent the rest of the night making slow, sweet love to each other, sharing the only comfort we had to give. If Joe noticed the black SUV that had followed us all night and was now parked down the street, he didn't mention it. He didn't let Ranger intrude on our night together.

I didn't sleep, just lay there watching Joe until the sun came up. It was a rainy, grey day, perfect for the mood I was in. I got up as quietly as I could; I didn't have the heart to wake Joe who had barely slept at all these last few weeks. I made coffee, took care of Bob, and slipped out of the house.

I pulled into Dunkin' Donuts, got myself a cappuccino and, because my stomach was still a little squinchy from all the stress, a couple of plain cake donuts. Taking my usual table in the back, I pulled out my notes on the Abruzzi file. I'd been studying the police and ME's reports and spread it all out on the table so I could go over it one last time.

I looked at my watch. Right now the Grand Jury was deciding whether or not to indict Joe. If they did, I had to be ready to go to Malfitano and Rinaldi with my confession. I had to be very good, very convincing, because I had to make sure they believed me when I told them that I was the one who killed Abruzzi.

I ran my story through my mind over and over again. I had to have it down pat, and I had to act and sound natural. I had to be ready to answer any questions they threw at me. Keeping the story simple would help. At least I'd be able to keep it straight in my own head. I planned on telling them that I felt so guilty for Joe taking the rap for something I did, that I just couldn't keep quiet any more.

I decided that I was gonna say that Abruzzi called me while I was at the hospital that night, having the burn treated. He wanted to talk about Evelyn and Annie Soder, and told me to meet him in the Farmers' Market parking lot. I'd say I was scared to go, but I was more scared not to. He had already kidnapped me and Val, and had hurt me. I still had the scar on my arm to prove it. The cops knew he was insane, so if I told them he threatened to go after my nieces if I didn't do what he wanted, I was pretty sure they'd believe me.

I'd say I was afraid he'd try to hurt me again. I mean, look what he had already done to me! So, I brought along a gun, a throw down piece I bought off a guy on Stark Street when I first started bounty hunting. I'd tell the cops that I waited for Joe to fall asleep and then I sneaked out of the house and drove to the Farmers' Market. Abruzzi tried to attack me and I pulled out the gun, we struggled, the gun went off, and I panicked. I went to the bonds office, it was only a couple of blocks away, and typed up the suicide note on the computer. I went back to Abruzzi's car and left the note and the gun.

I'd tell them I snuck back into Joe's house and took the pain pills I got at the hospital. When I woke up in the morning, Joe told me that Abruzzi had committed suicide, and I tried to put the whole thing behind me. I never dreamed it would come back to bite me, or anybody else, in the ass. But since it had and I couldn't let an innocent man pay for my actions, I would go to their office and tell them what really happened. I didn't want a jury trial. I just wanted to plead guilty and get it over with. That was my story and I was gonna stick to it!

My cell phone chirped, and my heart dropped when I saw that it was Linda. The Grand Jury was deliberating whether or not to return an indictment against Joe. She told me she'd call as soon as she had any news. I needed to get back to Joe so that we could wait this out together. I quickly gathered up my papers and since I wouldn't be needing them anymore, I threw them into the trash at the donut shop. The guys waiting in the black SUV got a little finger wave as I drove past them. I might as well let them know that their stealth cloaking device wasn't working and I could see them.

I made Joe breakfast to kill some time. Oh, stop laughing! I know how to make French toast and microwave bacon! Anyway, we ate and then sat and just stared at the phone, willing it to ring and end the torture of waiting. I swear that those were the longest hours of my life. Joe's, too.

I didn't want to jinx our luck by getting ready to go talk to Malfitano and Rinaldi if I didn't have to, but I needed to keep busy so I wouldn't go completely nuts. I showered and shaved and buffed and puffed. Joe helped. I was going to seriously miss his talented fingers and mouth once I was incarcerated, so we just took our time and enjoyed each other. I was pretty sure he was thinking the same thing about me. He leaned in the doorway and watched while I did my hair and makeup, almost like he'd never seen me do it before, and I watched him shave. We didn't say much to each other, a good thing really, since I had a lump in my throat the size of Iowa.

Joe followed me into the bedroom, smiling as I shimmied into a lacy bra and panties. I took a little longer than I usually would, knowing that he was enjoying the show. I heaved a sigh when I looked at the closet with my clothes all lined up, and the boxes upon boxes of shoes. This was probably my last chance to choose what I wanted to wear before I traded in my wardrobe for a prison jumpsuit. Orange is SO not my color.

I'd already decided what to wear, after all, clothes make the woman and I wanted to be taken seriously. I figured that this was like a job interview or an audition, so I needed to dress the part. I chose a black pencil skirt that hit just above my knees, a matching short jacket, and sapphire scoop-necked sweater. Black peep toe pumps, a small bag and silver jewelry finished my 'last day as a free woman' ensemble. I spritzed on a shot of 'Dolce Vita' and I called myself done.

When Linda did call, the news wasn't good. Joe still thought I was going to go hand Malfitano and Rinaldi Ranger's head on a silver platter. He had no clue what I was really planning. And I wanted to keep it that way. He'd find out the truth soon enough. After all, he was gonna be my one phone call.

Joe walked me out to my car, and I just stood in the driveway and held onto him, afraid of what was going to happen when I let go. I knew that I was doing the right thing, but suddenly I was so scared I was shaking. Tears pricked at my eyes as I tried to memorize the feel of his arms around me, the smell of him, the sound of his voice. And all the while he thought I was upset because I was betraying Ranger.

He tipped my chin up to look into my eyes. "You know I wouldn't ask you to do this if there was any other way, right Steph? I know you think Manoso did this for you, but the deal he offered me proves what kind of man he really is. Under all that slick veneer, he's just a common street thug."

"Please don't, Joe. I know what I have to do; you don't have to try to convince me."

Joe blew out a deep breath. "Just remember that I love you and want to make a life with you. He just wants to add you to his string of possessions, like his cars or his real estate. He doesn't deserve your loyalty, and he sure as hell doesn't deserve you."

He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me gently, "I love you, Stephanie. Nothing will ever change that."

I held onto his wrists and kissed him back. "Remember that I love you, too. Otherwise I wouldn't be doing this," I whispered, and I kissed him good-bye.

Joe held the car door open for me, and smiled as I got in. Stepping back, he shoved his hands in his pockets and stood on the curb as I pulled away. I watched him in the rear view mirror, standing there, until I turned onto Hamilton Avenue, a shiny black SUV about half a block behind me.

By the time I got downtown to the State Building that housed all the Attorney General's offices, and drove around the block half a dozen times looking for a parking spot, I was a little calmer and much more in control. I mean, they'd expect me to be jumpy, right? Who wouldn't be? At least I wouldn't have to try to act like I was nervous. A car pulled out and I slid into the spot and fed the parking meter for the maximum number of hours. The black SUV was nowhere in sight, and I guessed they'd just have to keep circling the block until they got dizzy, waiting for me to come back to the car … which I wouldn't be doing.

I stood at the bottom of the steps that led to the main entrance and looked up. Remember the daydream I told you about? The one where I was walking up the stairs to the scaffold to be hung? Well, it was coming true after all. I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and marched up the stairs and into the building.

Waiting for the elevator doors to open in the crowded foyer, I got a good look at myself in the polished metal. My face was so pale that I looked like I was going to pass out. My knees were shaking so hard they felt weak, and it wasn't until my chest started to ache that I realized I had been holding my breath. It was probably a good thing that the elevator was crowded. I think it was the crush of people that was holding me up.

I have to admit that I was more than a little unsteady as I walked down the hall to the double doors that lead to the Criminal Investigation Unit and Malfitano and Rinaldi's office. This was where they had brought me for the interview when I was their prime suspect. Halfway to the door I bolted into a ladies' room, scared that I was going to throw up. I used the facilities and slurped some cold water from the sink out of my hand. I even touched up my lipstick.

I procrastinated as long as I could and finally gave up. I figured I might as well just get it over with. It really was harder than I thought it would be. I guess in my mind's eye I saw myself bravely marching in there, head held high, holding my hands out and announcing, "Okay, boys. I did it. Slap the cuffs on me."

I stopped in front of the doors and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to work up enough courage to actually walk through them. Finally, I hauled the door open and I stepped into the room. There was no turning back now. A voice, mine I think, told the secretary that I wanted to talk to Rinaldi and Malfitano, and she picked up the phone and said a few words, then pointed to their office door.

I had my hand raised to knock when the door swung open and Malfitano stood there, glaring at me. "Well, well, if it isn't Miss Plum. We were told to expect you," he said sourly.

Surprise didn't cover what I was feeling, and I guess it showed. "Who told you that?" I demanded. I didn't know whether to be angry or relieved.

Malfitano stepped back, opening the door wider and held his hand out toward the man lounging in a guest chair, legs crossed, fingers steepled.

Oh shit!

"Stephanie," was all Ranger said as his eyes, black with fury, bored into mine.

I guess I'd go with scared!

_TBC …_

_Okay! I'm a day late and the chapter is shorter than usual, but I figured that something was better than nothing. The holidays have gotten the better of me, and it wasn't only Grandma who got run over by a reindeer. I think I have been too. Considering that Christmas comes the same time every year, I honestly don't know how it managed to sneak up on me. *sigh* I'll try for another chapter in two weeks … the operative word being 'try'!_

_Anyhow … What's Ranger up to? Does he know what Steph plans on doing, or does he think she came to try to turn him in? And Joe? Is he really as guilty as Ranger is or is he just an innocent bystander? Will he get off? Or will he take Ranger up on his offer? Tell me what you think._

_Thank you to all of the wonderful readers and reviewers. I apologize for not thanking you individually, but time just got away from me. Hopefully I'll do better with this chapter. I'm still a terrible review whore and keep each and every review I get. LOL!_

_Thanks again,_

_Stayce_

_p.s.… It's snowing in Brenham. Texas!!! It may only be a flurry for you snow bunnies, but for me IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!!_


	10. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Angst, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, for pep talks, and suggestions, and putting up with my whining, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, and to Kat, for her unconditional support in good times and in bad. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_**Indifference is the strongest force in the universe. It makes everything it touches meaningless. Love and hate don't stand a chance against it.**__**Joan Vinge**_

_**Chapter 10: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?**_

_Ranger?!_ What the hell was _he _doing here? And ohhhhhh, was he pissed! He sat slouched in a chair with his legs crossed and fingers steepled, blank face securely in place. Anybody who didn't know him would think he was relaxed. Ha! His glittering black eyes hooded, his nostrils flared, he sat like a tightly coiled spring ready to explode out of the chair, and all that heat and anger was directed at me. Oh joy!

Just the expression on his face was enough to make me forget how to breathe, and I don't mean that in a good way. This was the look that made grown men wet their pants, and I had to fight the urge to look at the floor to see if I was standing in a puddle.

Fight or flight survival instinct kicked in, and since no way could I win a physical fight with Ranger, I figured flight was my best bet. As much as I wanted to make a mad dash for the door, though, I stood my ground. Okay, so maybe it was more like I was frozen to the spot, but I didn't run. Actually, now that I think about it, it was more like I _couldn't_ run. My eyes were riveted to his and I started feeling a little … woozy. Neither of us moved or even blinked. It was kinda like one of those National Geographic specials where the cute, innocent little bunny is hypnotized by the big, bad, evil cobra. Yeah. Guess which one _I _was!

A million reasons for Ranger to be sitting there swirled through my head. None of them good for me. I always had the feeling that he could read my mind, so maybe he had figured out that Joe wanted me to turn him in? Maybe he thought I could really do that? Maybe he was here to stop me? Maybe he was here to do damage control? After all, there was no possible way that he could know what I really planned to do, right? Nobody knew, so nobody could rat me out.

Finally, somebody cleared their throat. "Miss Plum," Detective Rinaldi said as he stood up from his desk. "Miss Plum. What can we do for you?"

"Huh?" It took every iota of determination I had to tear my eyes away from Ranger's, and I shook my head to clear it while I tried to recover my composure. Squaring my shoulders, I pulled myself up to my full 5'7", plus heels, took a deep breath, and turned to Rinaldi. "I need to talk to you." I looked from him to Malfitano and back again. "Privately," I added firmly, very pointedly ignoring Ranger.

Not that Ranger was ignoring _me_, of course. I swear I could feel his eyes boring into my back, willing me to turn around and look at him again. But, nope, that wasn't gonna happen. His Jedi mind control tricks weren't gonna work on me! Not again! I looked anyplace but in his direction. I came into this office knowing what I needed to do, and by God, I was gonna do it! No way was I gonna let _him_ freak me out.

"I'll just wait outside until Mr. Manoso leaves," I said helpfully, and started to turn toward the door. It seemed that I had all the courage in the world … as long as I didn't look at Ranger.

The two cops exchanged a quick glance and shrugged, then Rinaldi came around his desk and took my arm. "That's all right Miss Plum. Our business is finished and Mr. Manoso was just leaving," and he steered me over to a guest chair in front of Malfitano's desk. "Weren't you?" He directed at Ranger.

It was like the air pressure in the room changed. I felt, rather than saw, Ranger shove himself up out of the chair in the small office and my heart stuttered in my chest. That little tingle I always felt when he was near turned into a jolt of electricity that shot down my spine. Right now, it felt an awful lot like fear. He took a step toward me, standing so close behind me that I could practically feel his heartbeat against my back. "Stephanie," his was voice low and tight. "We need to talk. Now!" He closed his hand on my shoulder and tried to guide me toward the door.

I don't know where I got the courage, but I yanked myself away from his grip. Without turning around, I snapped, "I can't imagine what you have to say that I want to hear, Ranger. Just go away and leave me alone!" Holding my head high, I went over and sat in the guest chair in front of Malfitano's desk. That'll show him! He wasn't going to intimidate me!

I didn't even glance in his direction, just crossed my legs and folded my hands over the purse in my lap. I was trying for nonchalant, but the silence was deafening and the hair on the back of my neck was standing up. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ranger's hands clenching and unclenching. He leaned down and growled in my ear, "Suit yourself, Stephanie," then, turning on his heel, he stalked out of the office. I think that's when I started breathing again.

"Thank you. I will," I called after him. Snotty, I know, but I actually got in the last word. That's something, right?

Malfitano strolled over and closed the door. "Sure as hell not somebody I want mad at me," he snorted. Rinaldi grunted in agreement. I just stayed quiet.

"You wanna tell us what that was all about?" Malfitano prompted as he came back to his desk and sat down in his chair.

I shook my head slowly. "Nope. Personal issues."

"Lovers' quarrel? You two got a little somethin' going on? Oh, that's right," he smirked. "You're Morelli's piece. You two playing hide the salami behind Morelli's back?" He chuckled and I gave him my best Burg death glare. I really wanted to just smack that lecherous sneer right off of his stupid face. The guy made my skin crawl.

Rinaldi shot him a warning look, then turned to me. "So Ms. Plum, what can we do for you?" he asked pleasantly.

I took a deep breath; this was it, no turning back now. I sat up straighter in my chair and gripped my purse with both hands … finally I just blurted out, "I … I have some information about Abruzzi's … death … that you need to know." The words just tumbled out of my mouth.

"You don't say," Malfitano cracked wise, all but rolling his eyes at Rinaldi. He tipped the desk chair back, kicked his feet up on his desk, crossed his ankles, and folded his hands over his stomach. I guess I was lucky he didn't scratch his balls in front of me, too. He gave a huge yawn and waved a hand at me. "So, why don't you tell us what it is _you_ think _we_ need to know? Hurry up, I can hardly wait!" God! I hated that man!

Rinaldi pulled the other guest chair closer to mine and sat down next to me. While Malfitano acted like an ass, there was nothing snide or sarcastic about Rinaldi. He leaned in toward me and laid a hand on my arm. "Just take your time and tell us in your own way." He shot a look at Malfitano, hopefully signaling him to shut the hell up.

I flicked a glance at him and nodded, struggling to take in a deep breath. There seemed to be this elephant sitting on my chest. I licked my dry lips and started. "I know that Joe Morelli didn't kill Abruzzi."

"Oh Jeeez! Gimme a fuckin' br…" Malfitano started to say, but Rinaldi held up his hand and the other cop went silent. "And _how_ do you know that?" he asked gently.

"Because I know who _did _kill him." I looked Rinaldi square in the eye so he'd know I was being honest. After all, I _did_ know who killed Abruzzi. Not that I was gonna share that info with him, of course.

"And that would be … who? Napoleon? Your granny? Batman?" Malfitano asked with a snort.

I have to admit that the 'Batman' thing rattled me a little. I swallowed hard and looked at Rinaldi, not quite meeting his eyes this time. "Me," I kind of choked on the word. "It was me." My voice still wavered when I said it. I looked down at my lap and tried to blink away the tears I could feel welling up in my eyes. Dammit! I couldn't wimp out and start to cry now!

"_You_ did it. _You_ killed Abruzzi," Malfitano barked out a laugh and scrubbed his hands over his face. "Shit! This sounds like a game of Clue … Miss Plum in the bedroom with a dildo!" He threw his head back and cackled at his own stupid joke.

Okay, so that dried my tears right up! What an ass!

"Knock it off!" Rinaldi snapped at him. "Ms. Plum … Stephanie, did Morelli ask you to come here today? Did he force you, threaten you in some way to get you to confess so he'd be off the hook?" Sympathy and understanding practically dripped off Rinaldi. "Tell us the truth and let us help you. We can protect you, keep you safe."

"No! NO! Joe doesn't have any idea that I came here to confess." I looked from one of them to the other. "I'm responsible for Abruzzi's death; Joe had nothing to do with it."

"Then why didn't you come forward when it happened, huh? Why'd you wait so long?" Malfitano demanded.

"I know I should have. But I was scared! I mean, the guy was dead, but I was terrified that his men would come after me, or my family, for revenge or something. They didn't have any problems with stalking and threatening and kidnapping and torturing me on Abruzzi's orders. I didn't know how loyal they'd be to him, even if he was dead."

They sat there, wearing their cop faces, and studied me. I just kept right on babbling though. It was like I couldn't stop myself.

"I wasn't thinking. I was running on pure adrenaline. And when Joe told me that the cops thought Abruzzi committed suicide, I can't tell you how relieved I was! I thought if they thought that it was suicide, well, there wasn't any crime, and if there wasn't any crime … well, there wasn't anything to confess to. Was there? I mean he was a bad man who did terrible things to people. Not that he deserved to die and all, but I was scared, and it was an accident, and I didn't mean to do it and … and …" I finally wound down, thank God.

Rinaldi ran his hand over his face. "So what made you decide to come in now and confess? We questioned you weeks ago, and you denied knowing anything about Abruzzi's death."

I shrugged and held out my hands, palms up. "Look, I admit it. I didn't want to go to jail. But that was before you started looking at Joe for this."

"So you came in because Morelli is on the top of our short list?" Rinaldi said with a weary sigh.

"It wouldn't matter who it was. I'd still be here. I couldn't live with myself if I let somebody else take the blame for me."

"Okay, okay" Rinaldi sighed as he rubbed his chin. "Are you prepared to make a formal statement … an admission that you committed this crime?"

"Yes," I rasped, my throat suddenly dry.

Malfitano took his feet off the desk and went to see if there was an empty interview room, leaving me alone with Rinaldi. As soon as the door closed Rinaldi reached over and covered my hand with his.

"Stephanie, do you understand what this confession means?" he asked me kindly. "You're gonna be arrested and charged and brought to trial and probably sent to prison. The DA could decide to charge you with first degree murder. If you're convicted, you could spend the rest of your life behind bars." He waited a few beats, then added, "Right now, there's no official record of anything you told us," he said softly. "You can still just get up and walk out of here."

If Rinaldi was trying to scare me, he was doing a damn good job of it. My stomach was rolling and I was queasy, but I had no choice, I had to go through with this. My only other option was to let Joe or Ranger face those consequences he was talking about. And that was something I just couldn't do, _wouldn't_ do. I didn't answer him, just nodded and fished in my purse for a tissue to wipe away the tears that had escaped.

"I can't let Joe, or anybody else, take the blame," I told him. I didn't tell him that the 'anybody else' was Ranger.

"Are you sure he's so innocent?" Rinaldi squeezed my hand.

"Yeah, I'm sure," was the only thing I could say, because I was.

Malfitano came back in and escorted me to an interview room. It was a good thing that he was holding my arm so tightly. My knees were so weak that if he hadn't been, I think I probably would have wound up on the floor. He had me sit in the chair facing the big mirror on the wall. I knew there would be a camera behind the mirror that would be taping my confession. Probably a whole bunch of people watching, too. Oh goody, an audience.

Rinaldi came in and handed me a bottle of water. "Last chance, Stephanie. You wanna call it off and go home?"

I just shook my head. Malfitano tossed a thick manila folder on the table and turned it so that I could see my name printed in red magic marker on the cover. I guess that was supposed to shake me up. Not a real difficult thing to do right about now.

Malfitano sat across from me, Rinaldi beside him. Just like they did on TV, they arranged themselves so that the camera would have a clear view of all three of us. I waited nervously while the two cops pulled out their recorders and went through the routine of identifying themselves and 'stating for the record' that I had come in voluntarily to make a statement. Rinaldi informed me that I wasn't under arrest, not yet at any rate, and read me my rights.

He said something about self-incrimination and I almost laughed out loud. Here he was warning me about incriminating myself, and I couldn't _wait_ to tell them that I was guilty.

"You ready?" and when I nodded, he said, "Okay, tell you what. Why don't you just start at the beginning and tell us the whole story?" Rinaldi sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. Malfitano tipped his chair back and put his hands behind his head. He looked bored to death and about to fall asleep.

I took sip of water and cleared my throat. I kept reminding myself that this was the easy part. Because it was all true and I didn't have to make up anything, I could pretty much just relax and tell the story. Oh yeah, some easy part all right! As it was, every nerve ending I owned felt like it was outside my skin and if I could just have thrown up, I know I would've felt a whole lot better.

So anyway, they heard all about Mabel Markowitz, and Evelyn and Annie Soder, and Abruzzi's men, and the snakes, and the spiders, and the guy in the rabbit suit, and dead Steven Soder on my couch, and the kidnapping, and the torture. All of it … all over again. It was pretty much the same version they heard when they had hauled me in for questioning back when I was their prime suspect. Rinaldi sat with his chin in his hand, listening to my story. On the other hand, Malfitano's eyes were rolled so far back in his head that I was waiting for him to pass out. Okay, so I guess I was hoping he would pass out and fall on the floor and crack his head open.

If telling the truth was hard, telling the fictional stuff was just plain hell. I mean, it was all just one big lie and I was sure they were gonna know. They were cops, right? They were trained to sniff out liars. What the hell ever made me think I could get away with this? My head had started to ache even before I walked into the State Building and now it was splitting. My voice was shaking and my heart pounded so hard I was convinced the two cops could hear it, plus, I still felt like I was going to throw up. So much for bravery!

Anyway, I just forged ahead. I started telling them about Abruzzi calling me while I was in the emergency room and I almost jumped out of my skin when Malfitano brought the front legs of his chair down to the floor with a loud thump. Suddenly he started paying real close attention to what I was saying, watching me while I talked. I really don't know how actors do it. I mean, I tried to sound convincing and not stumble over the words, but I had to be careful not to sound too rehearsed either. Actually, I really didn't have to worry about any of that. Even to my own ears, all I sounded was scared shitless, which I was.

Neither of the cops said anything, just scribbled lots of notes and exchanged 'meaningful' looks while I talked. A couple of times Malfitano would flip through the manila folder and pull out a page. He'd circle something and pass it to Rinaldi. Sometimes Rinaldi would write something back; sometimes he'd nod and just turn the paper face down on the table.

I was explaining to them how I snuck out of Morelli's house and went to the Farmer's Market parking lot. Where I got the gun I took with me. How Abruzzi threatened me and tried to attack me. How we grappled for the gun and how it went off. I told them how I panicked and went to the bonds office and made up the suicide note. About going back to the car, leaving the gun and the note, and how, somehow, I got back to Morelli's.

"I didn't wake up until the next afternoon and that's when Joe told me that the local cops said Abruzzi had committed suicide. I tried to pretend it never happened, and I didn't say anything to anybody until today." I gave a small shrug. "That's it, that's the whole story," I said, and I watched them watch me.

They just stared at me with their flat cop eyes in their blank cop faces. Malfitano asked me if I'd be willing to give a DNA sample and take a polygraph test. He made a note that I said yes, then they gathered up all the papers and left, telling me that they had to check some stuff out and they'd be back. With questions, Malfitano said, lots of questions.

I kinda slumped back in my chair and rubbed my aching forehead. That was probably the hardest thing I had ever done in my whole life and all I wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep. Of course I knew that wasn't going to happen, at least not anytime soon. I'd have to be formally arrested, go through booking, enter my plea, then be transported to a women's correctional facility, checked in there and all that stuff.

At least I wouldn't have a bail hearing. You don't get bail when you plead guilty, which is what I was planning on doing. I wouldn't have been getting out on bail anyway, that's for sure. I didn't have any money or anything valuable enough to put up as collateral against the bail. I was pretty sure that Joe wouldn't have stepped up, he'd be furious with me for not handing Ranger over to Malfitano and Rinaldi. And cousin or not, Vinnie wouldn't front bail money for God Himself, much less me. And Ranger, well, let's not even go there.

Dammit! There were those tears again. Looked like it was pity party time. My purse was back in the cops' office, so I didn't even have a friggin' tissue to blow my nose. While I waited for them to come back, I finally let myself think about what my life was gonna be like now. There were all these things that I purposely buried so deep, I wouldn't have to deal with them. I guess I was afraid that I'd chicken out if I did. There's a good reason that denial is my friend.

I wondered what Joe and Ranger would think when they found out what I had done. I wondered if they'd understand why I couldn't tell them what I planned to do. I wondered if they'd realize that I did this because I loved them both. I knew Joe would be pissed that I didn't rat out Ranger, and Ranger would probably think this was a dumb move, but there was no way I could sacrifice one of them for the other. At least they'd both be free.

I worried about my parents and their embarrassment at having a daughter who would probably serve a life sentence for murder. Probably they'd have to move out of the Burg. I wondered if they'd forgive me for that and realize that no matter what, I loved them and didn't do this to hurt them.

I thought about what life in prison would be like. I became a bounty hunter so I could make my own hours and not have to wear panty hose everyday. Now I'd have somebody telling me what to do and when to do it every minute of every day for God only knew how many years. And I'd be stuck wearing the same stupid orange jumpsuit for the rest of my life.

The thought of never having sex again or even being hugged made my heart ache. They probably wouldn't let me have a shower massager either. The thought of playing for the other team really didn't appeal to me at all, but who knows how I'd feel about that in ten years or so. Good thing I didn't think about any of this shit beforehand. Probably I wouldn't be here now if I had. Like I said, pity party time, and this was gonna be a spectacular one!

I got more depressed with each minute that dragged by. I just wanted this over and done with. The minutes became an hour, then two, then three. I sat there, imagining the walls closing in on me until I was ready to scream and beat on the door. My brain finally shut down and I just put my head the table, too physically and emotionally exhausted to even cry.

I felt like I had been sitting there for days when the door burst open and a clearly furious Malfitano stalked in. My heart lurched in my chest, but before I could even ask what was going on, he grabbed me by the arm and hauled me up out of the chair and gave me a hard shake.

"What the fuck did you think you were doing? You should have started that pile of shit story with 'Once upon a time' and saved us all a lot of grief! If you thought we'd swallow that load of crap fairy tale you tried to feed us, you're as stupid as you seem to think we are!"

Next thing I knew, he was dragging me out of the interview room and past his office where he stopped just long enough to pick up my purse and shove it into my hands.

"Wait! No!" I pleaded. "I confessed. I did it! I killed Abruz…"

"Shut up! Did you really think we wouldn't check out your story?" He bellowed at me. "Oh you're good, I'll give you that! You covered all the bases, came up with answers to all the questions … except one!" He shoved a piece of paper under my nose. "The medical report from St. Francis ER! It says right here that you were shot up with a sedative and enough pain killers to drop a horse. Maybe you dreamed the whole thing, or hallucinated it, but you sure as hell didn't kill that sick son of a bitch."

He pushed me ahead of him all the way through the whole office, past all the cops and detectives who stopped what they were doing to watch and listen, to the main entrance of the unit. "You wanna go to jail so bad? I should charge you with interference with a police investigation, giving false evidence, obstruction of justice, wasting my time, and being a public nuisance!" he jabbed me in the shoulder as he ranted. "I should lock you up and throw away the key as a public service! And let me tell you, if I ever hear you pulled another stunt like this again, that's exactly what I _will _do."

He tore open the door and shoved me hard enough that I stumbled out into the middle of the hallway. "Maybe your Trenton cop buddies put up with your Bombshell Bounty Hunter shit, maybe they think it's cute, but this office doesn't play games! Go do something useful for a change. Go home and give Morelli a blowjob! You gotta be good for something!" His voice echoed through the whole floor.

I watched as he spun around and slammed the door behind him, too stunned to even be insulted. I must have stood there, my mouth open, staring at the closed door for two full minutes before it dawned on me that he wasn't coming back. To say that I was dazed was an understatement. Stunned, numb, dumbfounded, stupefied, gobsmacked … I was all of them. What the hell just happened here? One minute I was confessing to murder, and the next I was being tossed out on my ass.

More than a little dizzy, I lurched over to the wall for support. I leaned my cheek against the cool marble and closed my eyes, waiting for everything to stop spinning. My stomach rolled again and I staggered down the hall like a drunk, practically falling into the ladies' room. I made it into a stall just in the nick of time, throwing up until there was nothing left but dry heaves.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel any better afterward. The sore throat, aching stomach muscles and splitting head had me wanting to just curl up on the cold tile floor. Instead, I leaned over the sink rinsed my mouth and splashed some cold water on my face. I wasn't even surprised when a saw myself in the mirror … I was so pale I looked like death warmed over.

I sank down on a small bench and leaned my head back against the wall hoping the shakes would pass and I could get the hell out of here. I tried to remember what Malfitano had said about the report from St. Francis… something about sedatives and pain killers. I knew I had gone over every single detail at least a hundred times when I was planning my story. I had a copy of the hospital report and the doctor's notes. I knew that the only pain stuff I got at the hospital was that little local they give you so they can treat the wound. Nobody gave me any sedatives or pain meds, just a prescription for a couple of pain pills. Morelli had taken it to the hospital pharmacy and I took them just before I went to bed.

It took a while for reality to push its way through the fog in my brain. Son of a bitch! Somebody had to have falsified that hospital report! They sabotaged my plans. I had figure out who it was, and how they found out what I was planning to do. Then I'd hunt them down and kick their ass for butting their noses in and screwing up all my hard work!

But I was too tired to try to figure it out now, all I wanted was go home and fall into bed. I pushed to my feet and stepped out into the hall and stopped. The entire hallway was absolutely empty and the lights had all been dimmed. It was close to midnight and most of the offices in the State Building were locked up tight. Even the AG's unit was dark. As I started toward the elevators, the click of my heels sounded like gunshots, echoing away down the hall into the darkness.

I mean, I knew it was silly but I found myself hurrying down the long, empty corridor, watching each door as I passed it. I couldn't shake the feeling that somebody was following me in the shadows, stalking me. I could feel their eyes on me and a trickle of fear slid down my spine. I scanned the shadows, wishing I had my gun.

I comforted myself with the thought that there would be an armed guard down on the desk near the front door. All city and state and federal buildings had them. All I had to do was get on the elevator and I was home free.

I practically ran to the end of the hall, looking over my shoulder as I turned the corner toward the bank of elevators. I could hear my own gulping breaths as I pushed the call button on every single elevator, pacing back and forth so I could dive onto the first one that opened. Naturally, that was the last one in line and I dashed through the open doors with a final glance over my shoulder at the dimly lit corridor.

I mashed the first floor button a dozen times before the doors started to close and I slumped against the side of the elevator in relief when they pinged shut. I watched the numbers flash as the elevator slid silently down to the first floor, and flew out of it like I had been shot out of a canon as soon as the doors opened wide enough for me to get through. All I wanted to do was get the hell out of this building and into my car. I bolted out the main entrance and streaked across the wide portico, fishing my keys out of my purse as I ran.

I never saw the dark shape step out from behind the column and separate itself from the shadows, or reach out to grab me as I went past, but I shrieked when I felt a hand wrap around my arm and pull me backward.

"Stephanie, I told you that we needed to talk!" Ranger ground out through clenched teeth and pulled me flush against him.

"God dammit, Ranger! You scared me!" I thumped my fist against his chest as hard as I could. Not that it did anything but hurt my hand, of course. "I told you no! I have nothing to say to you!"

"Well I have plenty to say to you!" He tightened his grip and started to drag me down the stairs.

"Cut it out! I just want to go home," I yelled and kicked at him, catching him in the calf.

He spun around and grabbed me by my arms, pinning them to my sides. "Stop it or I'll make you stop!"

"What are you gonna do," I taunted. "Hit a girl?" I lifted my chin and glared at him.

"Don't tempt me!" he growled and reached back to pull a pair of handcuffs from his waistband.

"You wouldn't!" I squeaked in outrage. The expression on his face gave me my answer. "Okay! Okay! We'll talk!"

Ranger 'escorted' me down the steps and out to the sidewalk where he helped me into the Porsche. I battled with the seat belt that just refused to cooperate and let itself be buckled. He reached over me to fasten it and my breath hitched as his knuckles skimmed over my breast. He froze for a second and our eyes locked as he let the backs of his fingers drift over the swell of my breast again. Butterflies fluttered low in my belly and I licked my lips as he moved his face closer to mine. My eyes slid down to his mouth and, all by itself, my head angled toward him. As furious as I was with him, he still had that effect on me. Damn him! My eyes drifted shut when his lips were a breath away from mine.

Growling low in his chest, he pulled away from me, turned the key and slammed the car into gear, sending it tearing away from the curb and down the dark street. There wasn't another car on the road. It was like the Porsche owned the city. We streaked across town, gears shifting, engine screaming like a wild animal. He drove like a madman, ignoring stop signs and red lights until we roared into the garage at RangeMan, missing the slow moving security gate by less than an inch. The tires screeched as we slid into his parking spot, Ranger braking so hard that I was thrown first forward against the seat belt and then slammed back against the seat, knocking what little breath I had right out of me.

I sat slumped in my seat, my heart in my throat, breathless and stunned, head spinning. Ranger threw the door open and without a word, pulled me out of the car, half dragging, half carrying me to the elevator. He kept his hand wrapped around my arm and I wondered if he thought I was going to make a break for it and rabbit. The fact that I could barely walk, much less run, had obviously escaped him.

He kept a firm grip on me all the way up to the seventh floor and into the penthouse. Once the door was closed and locked, he let me go and turned on the lights, tossing his keys into the silver dish on the sideboard. I took a few stumbling steps down the hall and sagged against the archway to the living room, too spent to go any farther. I heard him go into the dining room, the clink of crystal, and the splash of liquid pouring.

He strode over to me and wrapped my hand around a glass. I could smell the brandy. "Drink it!" he ordered. "You look like you're ready to pass out."

That actually sounded like a pretty good idea, I thought, and shook my head, no, trying to hand the glass back to him.

"Drink it or I'll pour it down your throat!" The tone of his voice told me he would, too.

I was too tired to fight and just lifted the glass to take a sip. He put a finger under the glass and tipped it up, so that the entire contents spilled into my mouth. Liquid fire scorched its way down to my stomach and I choked and coughed, trying to catch my breath. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and shoved the glass back at him. "Happy now, jerk?" I spat.

He grunted and emptied his own glass. I watched as he stalked into the living room, took off his suit jacket and tossed it over the back of the couch. His tie followed, and he unbuttoned his cuffs, turning up the sleeves over his forearms. He didn't look at me, just paced the room with that same pent up energy he had in the cops' office, like he was ready to spring at any moment.

I was barely able to stay on my feet, but I was sure that if I sat down, I'd immediately conk out. Okay, time to beard the lion in his den. "Ranger, you're the one who wanted to talk, so talk."

He stopped pacing and slowly turned to look at me, cool indifference on his face, but his eyes ... that's where the heat was. He looked like he could eat me alive. I shivered as he took a step toward me.

"Just what the hell did you think you were doing today, Stephanie?" he demanded. He held up his hand, "And don't play stupid, you know damned good and well what I'm talking about."

I blew out a sigh and shrugged. "I was playing Ricardo Carlos Manoso. I was doing what I thought was best for everybody involved," I said wearily and rubbed my aching forehead.

"So … what? You thought it would be a good idea to offer yourself up as the sacrificial lamb? To be some kind of martyr?" He ground out, standing with his hands clenched by his sides, waves of anger radiating off of him.

My second wind hit me like a slap. Anger'll do that for you. "You hypocrite!" I shot back at him. "You're the man who walked into my apartment and let Scrogg shoot you to save Julie and me! Don't you dare give me any crap about sacrificial lambs! You've got the corner on that market!"

"That was an entirely different situation, and you know it, Stephanie. There were no other options!" he threw back at me.

"Options, Ranger? What were my other options? What was I supposed to do? You have all the answers, you tell me," I raged at him. "Am I supposed to let Joe go to jail for this? Or should I go with Joe's solution and convinced Rinaldi and Malfitano that you did it, airtight alibi or not?" I didn't wait for him to answer, just kept right on going, baiting the tiger. "Who was I supposed to throw under the bus, Ranger, huh? Which one of you was I supposed to sacrifice?"

"So you decided you'd sacrifice yourself, and that'd make it all better? That's just brilliant!" The sarcasm dripped off his words.

"I asked you for help and instead I got another deal. What kind of a game are you playing with me? I need to know the rules! I told you I'd pay your price …" I stopped ranting as it finally hit me. "Oh my God! That's it, isn't it? The deal! You want me to accept the deal." I started to laugh. "Is that it? Me in your bed? Is that all it takes?" Hysterical laughter bubbled up out of me until I had to hold onto the wall to keep from falling on the floor.

"Stephanie, stop," he ordered, like a man who was used to being obeyed. Did I listen, oh hell, NO!

"Hell, I sold myself to you before. No biggie. I can play whore again!" I choked out, laughter gone, replaced by fury. I yanked open my suit jacket, sending the buttons flying, and dragged it off, throwing it on the floor. "Let's go! What are you waiting for?" I kicked off my shoes and they skidded across the room. Ranger watched me haul my sweater off over my head and toss it on a chair as I moved toward the bedroom door. "Well, come on! This is what you want isn't it? Come and get it!"

"Stephanie," he thundered, taking another step toward me. If I hadn't been so caught up in my own rage I would have known that Ranger's precious control had slipped and the man I had known and trusted was gone. I didn't know this one, closer to animal than human. Head down, eyes glittering, lips parted, he stalked me across the room. If I had been in my right mind I would have run for my life.

But I didn't know who I was either. All the weeks of fear and fury just exploded out of me. "Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it. You want a slave?" I spat. "You want me on my knees? You want me to beg you to fuck me? What? Just tell me! I'm all yours!" I pulled the bra straps down my arms and reached back to unhook it.

Before I could get it undone, he was across the room and on me in, grabbing me and lifting me off my feet. I screamed as he slammed me back into the wall, his weight pinning me almost eye to eye with him. "I said stop it!" he roared at me as I fought against him, clawing and kicking, biting and scratching like some wild thing I never knew I had in me.

He tried to pin my hands as I beat on him, and I sank my teeth into his shoulder, the taste of his blood filling my mouth. I wanted … no, I needed … to inflict as much pain on him as he had caused me. I punched and slapped at him, wanted him to hurt like I did, to have his gut twist like mine, and I battled him with everything I had in me. Twisting and shoving, we slid down the wall to roll and grapple on the floor.

His fingers were tangled in my hair, my hands gripped his shirt, my skirt had ridden up and he was lying between my bare legs. We were face to face, panting, our eyes locked and in those seconds, rage was replaced by something else entirely. He growled deep in his chest and his mouth came down, almost brutally, on mine. We fed on each other like we were starving, all teeth and tongue.

There was nothing sweet or romantic between us. This was feral … wild! I ripped at his shirt, the buttons skittering across the floor, then slid my hands down to stroke his hard, pulsing length while I worked to open his belt. He ran his hand up my bare leg to touch me through the wet silk of my panties before he tore them off me. I had a hunger I'd never known before and I was sure he felt it too. We were desperate with the need to mate and I was lost in the feel and smell and taste of him.

From somewhere on the other side of the room, my cell phone rang and the cold reality of what I was doing washed over me like ice water. Ranger must have felt it too, because he took a deep, shuddering breath and rolled off of me. I just lay there, gasping in shock, and more than a little shame. The breaths I dragged in became huge, wracking sobs and I curled up, covering my face with my hands as tears streamed down my cheeks.

Without a word, Ranger spooned me, holding me until I calmed down. He gently pulled the bra straps back up my arms and when I finally stopped crying, he stood up, taking me with him. He picked up my sweater and helped me put it on, then brought me my shoes and jacket. I went into the bathroom to clean up and when I came out, cold, distant Ranger was back again. Why wasn't I surprised?

"Tank will be up in a minute to take you back to Morelli," he said like nothing had happened. "And just a reminder, Stephanie, I didn't make the deal with _you_. I made it with Morelli … his freedom in exchange for his woman. It's up to _him_ whether or not to accept it. If he does, _then_ I'll expect you to pay my price. Not before." He slipped on his jacket and headed for the door. "Oh, and anything else that might happen between us," he added, "I'll consider a free sample." And he walked out of the apartment.

The son of a bitch!

_**TBC … **_

_**Happy New Year everyone! May 2009 be the best year of your lives and may all of your dreams come true.**_

_**So, what do you think is going on? Who changed that hospital report? Ranger? Someone else? Do you think Steph will tell Morelli that she tried to confess? Or about what happened at Ranger's? He's gonna want to know where she's been all this time. What do you think Morelli's reaction will be?**_

_**Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed WIDFL! I've tried to respond to each reviewer, but if you aren't a registered member of this site, I have no way of getting touch with you … so to all of you, Thank you so much! I appreciate your feedback more than you'll ever know!**_

_**Stayce**_


	11. Love Hurts!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Angst, Semi-Smut, Midget Monkeys, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Lindsay, who beats me with her 'Show-Not Tell' stick, Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, for pep talks, and suggestions, and putting up with my whining, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, and to Kat, for her unconditional support in good times and in bad. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

Diane Chambers: "And everyone knows that hate is not the opposite of love. Indifference is."

Sam Malone: "Well, whatever you say. I really don't care."

Cheers

_**Chapter 11: Love Hurts!**_

I'll never know if it was a delayed concussion from Ranger whacking my head against the wall when he grabbed me, or the pain of my jaw hitting the floor in surprise at what he said, or whether it was just plain old, garden variety, I've had it up to my eyeballs, anger. Whatever it was, something made my inner Jersey Girl come roaring to life.

Jersey Girl hauled off and smacked me upside the head … _Hey, dumb ass! Open you eyes! He's playin' you for a sucker and you're buying it! You really think you could've gotten under his skin like that if he meant any of the BS he's feeding you, huh? Think about it! Wasn't HE the one who told you that the opposite of love is indifference? Girl! Wake up and smell the coffee … _

I guess that's when the light bulb went on over my head and it finally dawned on me that Ranger's whole hard ass routine was just a great big, fat, distraction job. Hell! I'd done enough of those that I should have recognized one when I saw it! Except I didn't see it, that's why it's call a distraction.

I mean, think about it. How many times did I dress up all slutty and get some poor dumb schlub so focused on my boobs and butt and the idea of group sex that he totally missed the Merry Men, lurking around with their great big muscles, and their guns and cuffs, surrounding him so they could cart him back to jail?

Well, now _I_ was the dumb schlub and I didn't like it one little bit! Ranger had me focusing on his act … his cold indifference, his demands, his opportunist persona, _his deal_ ! So what wasn't _I_ seeing? What the hell was it that Ranger didn't _want_ me to see?

He'd been stringing me along for months and I never caught on. Boy! Talk about feeling like an idiot. I had fallen for his whole act, hook, line, and sinker. I gave myself a mental head slap _and_ a kick in the butt for being so stupid. It made my blood boil and I didn't know who I was madder at, him for feeding me all that bull or me for swallowing it.

Okay, I admit it. He was good, but I was better, and two could play at his little game! Maybe it was time he had a taste of his own medicine? I had had just about enough of Mr. High and Mighty Manoso! Somebody needed to knock him off that high horse he was riding on, and it looked like I was just the somebody to do it!

Blame it on temporary insanity, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of getting a little revenge, of pulling _his _strings, keeping _him _off balance for a change. I was a woman on a mission! I fluffed my hair, licked my lips, stuck out my boobs, threw open the front door, and Stephanie Plum, Hell in High Heels, sauntered out of his apartment, determined to tug the tiger by the tail and make him lose his cool again.

I gave a quick glance around to see if Ranger was still here and spotted him at the end of the hall by the stairway door, talking on his cell phone. When he saw me, he stopped and turned to look at me, surprise written all over his face. Okay, so he had an eyebrow raised, for Ranger that qualified as shock.

He snapped the phone shut and stalked back down the hall, stopping so close to me that he invaded my personal space. Intimidation Tactics 101, I almost laughed. Instead, I just stayed where I was, in front of the elevator, and calmly pushed the call button. I tapped my toe, completely ignoring the fact that he was practically breathing down my neck.

"I thought I told you to wait for Tank to take you back to Morelli," he snapped.

I blew out a deep sigh. "I don't need a guide. I've been finding my own way home for years, thankyouverymuch."

"You plan on thumbing a ride at," he checked his watch, "1am?"

I rolled my eyes and waved my hand at him. "Oh please, Ranger. You are so _totally_ predictable," I said with a bored sigh. "I know my car is down in the garage; it probably got here before I did."

"Predictable?"

"Yeah, predictable!" I pulled my keys out of my purse with two fingers, held them up and gave them a little shake. "You know … not spontaneous, creature of habit, _monotonous_…" I shrugged a shoulder and pushed the button again, and Ranger's too, apparently.

"I'm not predictable," he enunciated each word. "I'm responsible, cautious, analytical, logical and…"

"And booooooooor-ing" I sing-songed, still not looking at him.

"As opposed to you who is … what? Thoughtless, impulsive, _childish_ …" he countered.

"Free spirited, passionate, adventurous, FUN!" I turned and fluttered my eyelashes at him as the elevator doors slid open.

"Ha! More like irresponsible, reckless and harebrained!" he scoffed.

"Better than rigid, self-righteous and manipulative!" I taunted, giving him a pissy smile. Stepping into the car, I mashed the button for the garage.

"Emotional, immature, erratic…" he threw at me and put his hand on the door to keep it from closing.

"Cold blooded, heartless, self-important …" I glared at him and pushed the red alarm button. We could hear it scream down the elevator shaft.

"Foolhardy, headstrong …" He reached into the elevator and flipped off the alarm, pushing in the stop button instead.

"Arrogant, obsessive …" I cut him off. We heard the buzz when someone hit the call button on another floor. I released the stop button and Ranger got onto the elevator, mashing it again to keep the doors open and the car from moving.

"Oblivious!" he snarled and tried to step in front of the control panel.

"Egomaniac!" I sneered and pushed past him to get to the buttons, my voice getting louder.

"Screwball!" he tossed back as he blocked me.

"Control freak!" I shot back.

"Flake!" he leaned down and snapped in my face.

"Jerk!" I yelled and stomped my foot so hard the elevator bounced. Somebody on another floor was leaning on the call button. But with Ranger holding the Stop button, we weren't going anyplace.

Well, I didn't know about Ranger's control, but mine was sure shot to hell! We stood glaring at each other, hands on hips, nose to nose and toe to toe. I jabbed my finger into his chest. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, buddy, but you're not!"

"Excuse me?" He said, sarcasm dripping off his words.

"There _is_ no excuse for you!" I shot back at him. "I've put up with just about all of your bullshit I can stand! Offering _Joe_ a deal, setting _me_ as your price, acting like a hard ass, _manhandling_ me … If you think for one minute that this routine of yours is gonna fly, I have a newsflash for you, Ace! I am SO over you tha…"

"Oh, right! You're over me! I suppose that's why you were in there rolling around on the floor like a cat in heat…" he said with a self-satisfied sneer.

I gave him my best pissy face. "Where do you get off criticizing ME!" I poked him in the chest again. "You were right down there rolling around on the floor with me! You couldn't keep your hands off me …"

"Only because I wanted to choke you!" he sniped back at me.

"With what? Your _tongue_? You had it stuck far enough down my throat!" I said in the snottiest tone I could come up with.

He narrowed his eyes and growled at me, raising his hands, fingers curled, like he wanted to strangle me.

"Go ahead! I dare you!" I snarled back. "You don't have the guts!"

Ranger lowered his head, his black eyes glittering and I saw the anger flash across them as he took a step toward me. I could practically feel the electricity crackling in the air between us. "Don't . tempt . me!" he ground out and I slapped his hand as he reached out to touch me.

I stood my ground, glaring at him, a little thrill of fear skittering down my spine. I barked a laugh, "Oh, you're tempted all right, but not to strangle me!"

"You're right! I should drag you back in there and finish what we started. Maybe a good fuck will improve your attitude!"

"Ha! And just who you gonna call to give it to me … Joe?" Take that Batman!

All my life I'd heard that old saying, 'Be careful what you wish for, you might get it,' but I never really understood what it meant. At least not until I stood there and watched Ranger's control evaporate, and I got what I wished for. This wasn't part of his distraction; this was out of control Ranger. I could see it in his black eyes, and the flare of his nostrils, the curve of his mouth.

"God damn it, Stephanie!" He took another step toward me and I instinctively shrank back into the corner of the elevator. He'd let go of the Stop button and the doors slid closed. Now I was trapped, and panic set in.

I'd never been afraid of Ranger, at least not in the physical sense. The thought that he would actually hurt me had never even crossed my mind. But the man was the Wizard! So it was more like fear that he could get me to do just about anything he wanted me to, and then in the morning I'd be kicking myself in the butt as I watched his butt walk out the door and disappear … again.

Suddenly, it was like our whole argument had been foreplay, and all that built up sexual tension between us broke loose. I could see exactly what he wanted... he wanted me and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. The real trouble was … I wanted him just as much. Quick as a snake his arm banded around my waist, pulling me flush against him while his other hand twisted in my hair, yanking my head back. I clenched my teeth and hissed at the sudden pain.

"Play with fire, Stephanie, and you'll get burned," he murmured against my ear, sending a shiver through me. His tongue flicked my ear lobe before his teeth nipped it. I know I gasped and clutched at him, my knees too weak to support me. Ranger grazed his teeth along my throat and with a sigh, I let my head fall back even more, giving him room to play. He knew my body, he knew just where to lick or kiss or suck to make me sigh or moan. His mouth worked along my jaw to the place just below my ear, then down to the sweet spot where my neck met my shoulder. His lips and tongue worked their magic. He was the Wizard, and he was casting his spell.

He pulled back slightly to study my face and he must have found what he was looking for. With a groan his mouth took mine, his tongue stabbing between my lips, fierce and hungry and the two of us fell back against the elevator wall. I pulled the tie out of his hair, his fingers were tangled in mine, we fed on each other as if we were starving.

Ranger pressed against me; his mouth hot, his body hard, his thick length throbbing. It would have been so easy to give in to those sensations again, to the raw ache we both felt, to let him pull me down on the floor and satisfy all of our needs. My mind was screaming that I shouldn't give in to the lust that shot through my veins, while my body raged for release.

_But then what? Where would you go from there?_ That damned voice in my head just wouldn't shut up. _Saint or sinner, Stephanie?_ _Which will it be?_ It only took a split second for me to admit to myself that there really wasn't any contest. I knew I couldn't betray Joe. But most of all, I knew I just couldn't let Ranger win.

I didn't even struggle against him, just swung my purse up as hard as I could and clocked him in the back of the head. I couldn't believe that I actually managed to hit him but I guess I caught him by surprise. He dropped me so fast that I landed on my ass. I was hoping that the smack would bring him to his senses and he'd just back off. He did take a step back, but when I looked up into his face, I could see that, this time, I may have gone a little too far.

Right then I reconsidered that whole fear thing. Ranger's eyes had gone flat and black as he looked down at me, and he gave me a cold, hard smile that had my heart trying to hammer its way out of my chest. Do sharks smile before they go into a feeding frenzy? My mouth went dry and my breath hitched in my throat.

He hit the button to open the elevator doors and relief flooded through me. At least now I could escape, and I started to inch toward the doors. Of course those hopes were dashed when he blocked my way and leaned down to me. "Stephanie," he said softly, his voice belying the cold look in his eyes. "We're settling this once and for all!" He fisted a hand in the front of my sweater and I let out a shriek when he jerked me up off the floor.

I wasn't at all sure what it was that we were settling, I only knew that I didn't want to find out HOW we were going to settle whatever it was! "Let me go, you big bully!" I yelled as Ranger dragged me, kicking and screaming, out of the elevator and across the hall toward the penthouse door. I latched onto the elevator doorway with both hands and held on for dear life, screaming like a banshee!

Ranger had just bent down to toss me over his shoulder and carry me into the apartment when the stairwell door burst open and Tank, Lester and Bobby practically tumbled out into the hallway. My heroes, The Three Musketeers, or the Three Stooges, I didn't care which, had come riding to the rescue. I'd never been so happy to see them in all my life!

Ranger and I stopped grappling and he took a step back from me. I straightened my clothes and he ran his hands through his hair, both of us trying to catch our breath and look composed..

"Holy shit!" Lester grinned as he jogged over to us, "You guys are HOT! The windows in the Control Room are all fogged up!" He looked from me to Ranger and back again. "You'll be happy to know that the security cameras caught it all and the copies of the video will be ready in the morning. You two put on a great show, the control room was packed. Just wait until this hits the streets! We'll make a fortune!"

I forgot all about Ranger and turned on Lester. "What? What do you mean the cameras caught it all?"

"Well come on now, Bomber, don't get upset. We came up and stopped you guys before you actually did the dirty!" Lester waggled his eyebrows at me. "And you weren't showing any naked body parts or anything like that. Well, you might want to consider a padded bra next time. Your little soldiers were standing at attention!" He leered at me and brushed his fingers over his own nipples. I screamed and covered my boobs as four sets of eyes zeroed in on my chest. "And I don't know what the close up will show when we zoom in on the shot where your skirt was hiked all the way up and you had your leg wrapped aro… ack!"

Bobby's hand shot out and grabbed Lester by the throat, pushing him back against the wall and probably saving his life, 'cause I was ready to kill him.

The horror of the whole situation hit me and I spun around and lit into Ranger. "You didn't scramble the cameras?" I shrieked and shoved at him with both hands. "This is all your fault!" Okay, that was it! I had reached my limit. Lust, anger and humiliation boiled together to create a hot ball of fury, and that fury had a target. When Ranger turned to glare at Lester, I got in a lucky sucker punch right to Ranger's cheekbone.

Before he could even react, Tank grabbed me around the waist and spun me away from Ranger while I screeched in protest. "We gotta get you outta here, Bombshell!" he muttered and put me down against the back wall of the elevator, then turned and blocked the elevator door. Whether he was trying to protect me from Ranger or Ranger from me, I'm not quite sure. I only know I was pissed beyond words and I tried to shove Tank out of my way so I could get to Ranger again. I guess I don't have to tell you how successful _that_ was.

Tank pinned me to the wall with a big paw on my shoulder. "You okay?" he asked, trying to distract me. He lifted my hand and studied my skinned knuckles.

"I'd be a lot better if you'd just let me at him!" I raged and tried to barge past Tank to get my hands on Ranger.

"You know that's not gonna happen, so you might as well calm down," Tank, the voice of reason, said calmly as he caught me and pushed me back against the elevator wall again. "You've had a long, hard day and it's over now. Take a breath."

I jammed my hands on my hips and snarked up at him, "And just how do you know what kind of day I had?"

Tank didn't answer me, just patted my shoulder kind of awkwardly, trying to sooth me, I guess. I hated it when the guys were right, but I had no more fight left in me so I just gave up. I took that breath like Tank told me, and leaned my forehead against his chest while he shielded me from Ranger and helped me get back some of my own lost self-control.

When I finally lifted my head and looked around, I saw that Bobby had his hand on Ranger's shoulder, talking to him quietly. Ranger stood with his head down, hair hiding his face. His hands were on his hips and I could tell that he was forcing himself to breathe slowly, calming himself down as well.

I took one last deep breath and hoped that my voice would be steady. "I'm okay now, so let's go. I need to get away from here." Tank nodded and stepped aside while I hunted around for my purse. Head still down, Ranger shot a look my way that told me this had only been the first round. So I stuck my tongue out at him in return. I know, I know … real mature.

As Ranger had raised his head to look at me, I could see the beginnings of a bruise on his cheek. Lester's eyes widened and he started to laugh when he saw the bright red blotch. "Oh man, Ranger! I hope the cameras got that! You let a girl get the drop on you! I don't know if your street rep will ever recover!" he hooted.

Ranger narrowed his eyes, "Santos! On the mat. 6am!"

"Oh fuck! I was just sayin'…" As he slumped against the wall, Lester turned and shot me a wink. He was taking the heat for me and was going to let Ranger work off his frustrations on him. How could you not love that man?

Bobby handed me my shoes that I'd somehow managed to lose, and my purse and car keys that I had dropped out in the hall. "The odds in the RangeMan betting pool were on you, Bomber," he whispered. "You'd have murderized him! And don't worry about Les, he can hold his own." Bobby leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Cut the chit chat, Brown. Tank, take her back to the cop!" Ranger ordered. He stood in front of the elevator, blank face firmly in place.

I just rolled my eyes and pressed the button for the garage. As the elevator doors started to close I raised my eyebrows and looked down at Ranger's crotch. "Better tell your pants it's not polite to point," I said, and gave him a little middle finger way good bye as the doors slid shut. If I'd had the energy, I would have done a happy dance at getting in the last word.

Behind me Tank started to choke, coughing until he had tears in his eyes. He shook his head at me. "You got balls, Bombshell! Great big, brass balls!"

"I'm not afraid of him!" I raised my chin defiantly.

"Well, you're the only one who isn't. You two are a perfect match," he said with a smile and a shake of his head. I shot him a look that told him he was crazy.

Sure enough, when the elevator doors opened down in the garage there was my SUV, parked in the very first slot. _Yeah, predictable_, I thought. _I nailed that one!_ I made for my car only to have Tank grab me by the arm and swing me around to his Hummer.

"Oh, come on Tank! I'm a big girl, I can get myself home," I practically whined.

"I know you can, Bombshell." He bent down to look into my face. "But you can't go home looking like that."

"What are you talking about? What's the matter with the way I look?" I glanced down at my clothes and they looked okay to me.

Tank shook his head. "You look like you've been rolling around on the floor." My head snapped around and I glared at him. If he said, 'Like a cat in heat,' I was gonna bop him one! He must have read my mind because he held his hands up like he was warding me off, and backed away. "I don't mean that in a bad way, Steph, but …" He grinned at me and pointed to the Hummer's oversized side-view mirror.

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously and then took a gander in the mirror. Holy shit! Tank was right. My eyes were bright, my cheeks were flushed, my lips were swollen and my hair was tousled… I looked 'just fucked'! There was a fine line between looking 'just fucked' and looking 'not quite fucked', and even _I _could tell which side of that line I was standing on. Crap! There was no way I could let Joe see me like this. He'd take one look at me and … and I don't know what, but I sure as hell didn't want to find out!

It was bad enough I hadn't even called Morelli since Malfitano tossed me out of his office. To tell you the truth, once Ranger grabbed me, I never even had a chance to thinkabout Joe. Until it was almost too late, that is. I was ashamed to admit that I didn't want to have to think about him now, either. I sure didn't want to call him, to open the door to all those questions he'd ask that I didn't want to answer. But I had no choice; I had to get it over with.

I leaned my butt against the side of the Hummer and scrubbed my hands over my face, then pulled my phone out of my purse and hit Joe's speed dial number. Nothing happened. The phone was so dead it wouldn't even turn on. Saved! I breathed a sigh of relief. I was starting to wilt, feeling the effects of my long, emotion packed day. There was no way I could go another round with anybody.

I just stared at Tank's hand when he pulled his phone off his belt and held it out to me. I batted it away. "I'd rather face a pack of midget monkeys than talk to Joe right now!" I shuddered and made a face.

He pressed the phone into my hand. "Call him, Steph. You know you have to. Tell him your phone's dead, tell him you're with me, tell him you came out of the State Building and that you car was gone," he gave me a rueful smile, "because it was. You were right, it was already here. You won't be lying to him and you can give him whatever details you want once you're face to face."

I blew out a big, shaky sigh and took the phone. I paced while I listened to Joe's phone ring. I could imagine him looking at the caller ID, wondering what the hell Tank was calling him for. Finally, he answered.

"What?" he barked.

"Hey Joe, it's me." I sounded a little teary.

"Jesus Christ, Stephanie? Where the hell have you been? What are you doing with one of Ranger's goons? Why didn't you call me? I've been worried sick abo…"

"Joe … JOE," I hissed into the phone, trying to make him listen, "It's a long story. My phone is dead, my car wasn't where I parked it, Tank's gonna bring me home and I'll tell you all about it when I get there, okay?" I could feel the tears burning my eyes.

Joe was silent for a couple of seconds. "Did you tell them about Manoso?"

"Um … that really didn't work out." Joe was going to explode when I told him about my 'confession'.

"Why not?" he pressed.

"Joe … this really isn't a good time to have this discussion, you know? I'm not exactly alone here." Not that there was ever going to be a good time to have it.

"Fine! How soon will you be home?"

"That's up to Tank, but it shouldn't be too long."

"Where are you right now, maybe I should come and pick you …"

"Oh sorry! Tank needs his phone. Gotta go! Bye." I snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Tank, swiping at the tears in my eyes.

"Coward," Tank teased, giving me a hug and handing me his handkerchief.

"Bingo!" I mumbled. I closed my eyes and leaned against him, too tired and light-headed to move. I was emotionally and physically exhausted, hadn't eaten anything all day, and the garage floor was looking like a pretty good place to curl up and take a nap.

"Come on, Steph. We're gonna make a pit stop before I drop you off at Morelli's." Tank lifted me into the passenger seat of his Hummer and helped me fasten the seat belt. Fifteen minutes later we pulled into a parking space at the diner out on Rt.1. I was going to need some fortification if I was going to face Joe tonight.

Our butts had no sooner hit the booth when our waitress sashayed over and handed us our menus. Tall, blonde and bored, the Marilyn Monroe look alike glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as she turned over the coffee mug on the table in front of me and filled it, then looked at Tank and smiled. I was busy adding cream and sugar, but I knew she was looking at me again. She shot another glance at me while she filled Tank's cup and gave him a smile and a wink.

Blondie touched his arm and licked her lips when she handed him his menu. I figured she'd flash her boobs at him when he ordered. She glanced under the table at Tank's feet, made a little 'Umm!' sound, and walked away, swinging her hips so hard that she could have knocked diners out of their chairs if she'd hit them.

"What the hell was that all about?" I whispered, glaring after her.

Tank nonchalantly sipped his coffee and shrugged. "I just have that effect on women." He grinned at me. "Or maybe it's because your sweater is on inside out and backwards."

My eyes bugged out and my hands flew to the neckline of the sweater. Sure enough, there was the tag, on the outside. "Oh my God!" I could feel my face turning red.

"Don't worry about it, Bombshell! She won't even remember you. She's thinking we been doin' the deed and that I'm so good you didn't even notice you put your clothes on wrong." He leaned back in the booth and stretched his arms across the back of the seat. "I don't suppose I could get you to pick up the check too, could I? Maybe she'll think I'm a kept man." His grin turned into a full on smile. Men!

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I saw her check out your feet! I don't think that fairy tale about a man's shoe size has anything to do with his … equipment. I think clumsy guys with great big, flat feet just made that up to boost their own egos!" I hissed across the table at him, and he threw his head back and roared with laughter. Glad I was so entertaining. I sputtered something nasty about the size of his ego before I flounced to the ladies' room to fix the sweater problem.

While I was in there I ran a brush through my hair, added a coat of mascara, and some lip gloss. By the time I got back to the booth, the caffeine had kicked in and I felt a little better.

The waitress was hovering around the table, serving Tank like he was a god and she was one of his handmaidens. Steak and eggs and hash browns and pancakes and biscuits and God only knew what else covered the table. Tank had ordered for me, too, and my coffee cup had been replaced by a large vanilla Coke, pork roll with egg and cheese on a hard roll, and an order of cheese fries. My stomach rumbled at the smell of the food, and I was convinced that I had died and gone to heaven. I put my head down and dug in, not looking up until my plate was clean.

"Okay," I said as I pushed my empty plate to the side. "Let's cut to the chase. You knew I had a bad day. How did you find out that I was gonna go to the cops?"

Tank folded his arms on the table. "You remember that little talk we had a while back. The one when I told you to come to me before you went and did anything stupid? I nodded. "And you gave me your _word_?" He arched an eyebrow at me and I cringed a little. "Did you _really _think I believed you?"

I squirmed in my seat a little and shrugged my shoulders. "Okay, I'm a lousy liar. So …?"

He took a deep breath and blew it out. "So, keep your day job. You'll never make it as a spy. We just followed your trail of breadcrumbs."

"What are you talking about?" Now I was totally confused. Not a difficult thing at this stage of the game.

"You snooped around Stark Street and asked questions about unregistered weapons. You paid Connie's cousin to get you the copy of the autopsy reports. You hit up the records clerk at the cop shop for all the original police reports. You tried to get your hands on the results of the Attorney General's investigation." He ticked off each thing on his fingers. "Shall I go on? We knew you were up to something. All we had to do was wait for somebody to spill the beans."

I rubbed my forehead, trying to ward off the headache that was brewing behind my eyes.

"Tank! I didn't tell anybody," I said wearily. "Nobody knew, so there wasn't anybody to spill anything!"

He smiled at me. "You ratted yourself out, Bombshell. Junior and Zero saw you dump your notes at the donut shop yesterday. They dug them out of the trash and brought them to me."

I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity. It was like they had all been looking over my shoulder the whole time. "So then you ratted me out to Ranger."

He reached across the table and took my hand. "Do you think that any of us, Ranger included, would let you go to jail?"

"So did Ranger know that I was going to talk to Malfitano and Rinaldi, or was his being there just a coincidence?"

"What do you think?" He said with a smile. "He brought your 'study guide' to them."

I would have rolled my eyes if my head hadn't hurt so much so I put my head in my hands and just groaned instead.

I blew out a deep sigh and blinked back the tears that were welling in my eyes. "Pretty stupid, huh?" I whispered, my humiliation complete.

"Pretty great from where I'm sitting," Tank said into his coffee cup. "Does the cop appreciate what you were willing to do for him?"

"He doesn't know," I said with a shrug.

"You have to tell him, you know that, right?" Tank watched me intently.

"Yeah, I guess, but I don't see that it makes any difference. Nothing's changed." Even to my own ears I sounded defeated.

"Oh, everything's changed, Bombshell," Tank said cryptically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked him.

"I think that's a conversation for another day. Come on, let's get you home."

I paid the tab, and even left the waitress a hefty tip. After all, she'd made Tank's day and it really had been very entertaining. I even threw in a couple of adoring glances and deep sighs for her benefit. I thought Blondie was going to melt and Tank had a tough time keeping a straight face.

He was helping me into the Hummer when I remembered something that had me curious. "So who doctored the hospital records? No pun intended." I asked, without any humor.

Tank smiled and playfully puffed out his chest. "That would be me, your friendly, neighborhood hacker!"

I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, I think."

"Any time, kiddo, any time!" And I knew he meant it. It was good to have friends.

It was after three o'clock by the time Tank pulled to the curb in front of Morelli's house and helped me out of the SUV. He slung an arm around my shoulders as we went up the front walk to the stoop. The front door swung open and Joe came out onto the porch, arms folded across his chest. "It took you long enough to get her home," he said sourly.

Tank arched an eyebrow at Joe. "I was on my dinner break. Your _lady_," he tipped his head toward me, "hadn't eaten today. Took care of that for you, Morelli."

"I can take care of her!" Joe snapped, staring at Tank.

"You better," was all Tank said back to him, but the unspoken message between the two men was clear. Tank turned to me, gave me a bear hug and a kiss on the top of the head, told me to call him if I needed anything at all, and left.

Joe stomped into the house but I waited on the porch until Tank pulled away. I really didn't want to do this now. Hell! I didn't want to do this at all. But it was another 'no choice' situation.

Joe was pacing the living room when I got inside. "So, now that you've chatted with you buddy and had a bite to eat," he said sarcastically, "you think you could spare a few minutes out of your busy social schedule to tell me what the hell's going on?"

I guess I couldn't blame him for being upset. He'd been waiting for hours to find out what had happened. I tossed my purse onto the coffee table and sat in the armchair. "Sit down, Joe, and I'll start from the beginning."

He sat on the couch, arms crossed over his chest, the picture of a coiled spring. I knew he was anxious, worried, even scared, and my story wasn't going to help matters any, probably just make everything worse. Whoever said that confession is good for the soul had no clue what they were talking about.

Anyway, I started at the beginning and told Joe everything. Well, almost everything. I sort of left out the stuff about Ranger, but there was no sense in getting Joe any more upset that he already was, right? And it really didn't have anything to do with Abruzzi's murder anyway, so it wasn't like I was lying or anything. I didn't think I needed to tell Joe about the Merry Men following me, or figuring out my plan, or hacking into the hospital records. If he asked, I'd tell him the truth. But if he didn't ask, why rock the boat?

I watched the expression on Joe's face change as I told my story. Frustration and anger turned into shock and disbelief, finally settling into a kind of bewilderment. I finished with Malfitano pitching me out of his office. I guess Joe was so stunned that I had tried to confess, that he never got around to asking any of those questions that I had been so afraid of, like why hadn't tried to turn Ranger into Malfitano and Rinaldi, or what Ranger was doing in their office in the first place.

I just sat there and let Joe digest everything I told him. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and scrubbed his hands over his face. "I don't know what to say, Steph." He held his hands out, palms up. "I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around all this. I can't believe you did this for me."

I shrugged, uncomfortable with his emotions. "I had to try to fix it. I couldn't just let you go to jail. I'm sorry it didn't work."

He got up off the couch, came over to where I was sitting, and pulled me up out of the chair. He ran his hands up my arms and then gently cupped my face. "We'll get through this Steph. We have to believe in the system. Everything will turn out okay and we'll have the rest of our lives ahead of us."

He bent to brush his lips across mine and whisper, "I love you," against my mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. I know I didn't say it often, but he needed to hear it. "I love you, too," I whispered back to him, and meant it.

He pulled me closer and I melted into him, my head on his shoulder, his face buried in my hair. "Do you, Stephanie?" I felt him stiffen, his hands curled into my arms as he pulled back and looked into my face. "Do you really?" he ground out and shoved me away from him so hard that I staggered backward.

"What?" I said, stunned. "What's the matter?"

"Did you even go to the cops?" He was angry but I didn't know why.

"Of course I went …" He didn't give me a chance to finish.

"Was this the plan all along? Get rid of me and then you could be together?"

"What are you talking about? Are you nuts?" I reached out to touch his arm, but he pulled away.

"You've been with Manoso … I can _smell _him on you!" he spat, his eyes boring into me.

"Joe please! It's not what you…" but he wasn't listening.

"Don't bother Stephanie; I don't want to hear it!"

He grabbed his keys and threw open the front door. He only got as far as the porch. Malfitano and Rinaldi were coming up the walk.

Rinaldi stepped forward. "Joseph Anthony Morelli, we have a warrant for your arrest on the charge of murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right …"

Joe turned to look at me while Malfitano pulled his arms behind his back and cuffed him.

_**TBC…**_

_Oh, so not good. Do you think that Steph should try to convince Joe that he's wrong? Should she forgive Joe for saying those things? Think they'll work it out? And what did Tank mean when he said that everything had changed? Will Ranger beat Lester to a pulp? Or can he really hold his own against the MIB? Please let me know what you think …_

_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, comments, and suggestions. You all know how much I appreciate the feedback. I tried to respond to every review, but I know I missed some … so thank you for feeding my inner review slut! I appreciate the time you took to read and comment and to help me become a better writer. _

_Stayce_


	12. Dream Lover!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and to Linda, Ranger Craving, my Technical Adviser, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, and to Kat, for her unconditional support in good times and in bad. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

Dream Lover until then

I'll go to sleep and dream again

That's the only thing to do

Til all my lovers' dreams come true

Bobby Darin

_**A/N: I've never been to an arraignment, but I know that many are now done via closed circuit TV. That's kind of dull and boring from a writer's perspective, so I've taken some liberties with the arraignment proceedings, Literary License, for dramatic effect, of course. I could almost here the classic 'dunk-dunk' of a Law and Order episode … LOL**_

_**Chapter 12: Dreamlover!**_

I sat in the front row in the courtroom, wired on gallons of coffee and punchy from lack of sleep. I'd been sitting there for hours, waiting for Joe to be arraigned, trying to decide if I was going to jump out of my skin or just pass out cold. Either one was a real possibility. It had been three days since Rinaldi and Malfitano had arrested Joe and I was holding on to the very end of my rope by my chewed off fingernails.

Yeah, yeah, you're right, I should have expected it. I knew all along that the day would come when Joe would be charged, but that was a reality I just couldn't bring myself to face. When my master plan of turning myself in for Abruzzi's murder had gone south, and my equally brilliant Plan B, offering myself up to Ranger like some kind of virgin sacrifice, didn't work, I had no more rabbits to pull out of my hat. Since denial had always been my BFF, and my head was happily buried in the sand, I was totally unprepared for Joe's arrest when it actually happened and reality came crashing down on me.

For the past three days I'd been living on coffee and cigarettes. Well okay, maybe not cigarettes, but you know what I mean. For the first time in my whole life I couldn't eat. It was scary! My mother tried to bribe me with pot roast and pineapple upside down cake, but I just couldn't seem to get the fork into my mouth. Bob got to snarf down the Boston Crèmes that Connie and Lula brought over, and when Big Dog came by with a meatball sub from Pino's, all I could think about was the bologna sandwich that Joe was probably getting for dinner at the prison. Big Dog instantly became Bob's new best buddy.

I hadn't been able to sleep, either. I just lay there in bed getting creeped out by all the little house noises that I'd never paid any attention to before. I spent hours watching the little red numbers change on the clock radio before I gave up and just sat in the kitchen drinking coffee until the sun came up. The next night I tried sleeping in the guestroom, thinking that maybe I couldn't relax because I'd been in Joe's bed and he wasn't in it with me. This time I watched little blue numbers change on the clock before I wound up in the kitchen slugging down more coffee. Night number three I tried the couch, and watched the little white numbers on the DVD clock count off the minutes and hours. Well, you know the routine by now … kitchen … coffee … sigh!

It never occurred to my caffeine soaked brain that all the coffee I'd been swilling down might have something to do with the fact that I was too antsy to fall asleep. Next time I have a crisis, I'm gonna make sure I buy some stock in Maxwell House.

To make matters worse, I hadn't seen or talked to Joe at all since Malfitano and Rinaldi hauled him off. Of course they didn't take him to the jail in Trenton where we knew all the cops and guards and they all knew us. That woulda been too damn easy. Here in Trenton I could have begged, bribed, or blackmailed somebody into sneaking me in to see Joe. But nooooooo! Malfitano and Rinaldi booked him into the Mercer County Correction Center in Hopewell, a real prison, where I had no connections at all. I'm sure it was all that hard ass Malfitano's doing. The SOB!

Eddie Gazarra told me their excuse was, that because he was a cop, the Correction Center would be safer for Joe. Supposedly the CC would be able to isolate him from the regular prison population, separating him from prisoners who might not like being locked up with a cop, or who Joe might have put behind bars himself. Sure I wanted Joe safe, but it wasn't like he couldn't be protected in Trenton! I think that rat bastard Malfitano just wanted to make it as hard on Joe as he could. Every time I thought about it, I just wanted to go punch his lights out! And then sic Bob on him!

The more I sat around thinking about this stuff, the more crazed I got and the more the walls closed in on me. I had to get out of the house before I went completely nuts. I hated not knowing what was going on, and I hated waiting around to find out what was going to happen even more.

Anyhow, even exercise sounded better than sitting inside twiddling my thumbs, so I changed clothes and laced up my sneaks and headed out for a good long run around town. By the time I reached the front door I'd already talked myself out of running, so I grabbed Bob, snapped on his leash and headed out of the house for a jog around the neighborhood. We were only on the front walk when I remembered that the one time I took Bob jogging I'd almost dislocated my shoulder when he stopped short to sniff and pee. Okay, so maybe we'd just power walk.

We got all the way to the sidewalk when a police cruiser pulled up to the curb in front of the house and I swear my heart stopped. Oh God! Now what?

But when Eddie got out of the cruiser, a big goofy smile on his face, I almost collapsed onto the sidewalk in relief. "Hey Cookie, how ya doin'?" he said, holding his arms out to hug me.

I just made a face; he knew damned well how I was doing. "Jeez, Eddie. Give me a heart attack, why don't ya." I snarked, but hugged him anyway.

"Sorry Steph, just checking up on ya." Probably Joe asked him to keep an eye on me until he got home.

Eddie ruffled my hair, scratched Bob between the ears, then took his leash and slung an arm around my shoulders. We all strolled slowly down the block together. My kind of exercise. Eddie sent me a couple of sidelong glances. "No offense, Steph, but you look like hell. Are you doin' okay? Do you need anything?"

I heaved a huge sigh and fought the tears of frustration that stung my eyes. "Yeah," I said bitterly. "I need Joe." I was passed the point of being scared and had moved on to pissed off. I didn't like being scared, but mad I could handle. After all, angry was the natural state of being for a Jersey Girl.

Eddie pulled me a little closer and patted my arm while we stood under a street lamp waiting for Bob to finish marking his territory. "I stopped by to tell you that Joe's gonna be arraigned tomorrow. I couldn't get hold of the court clerk, so I couldn't find out what time, just that it's sometime tomorrow. I tried to get the guys over at CC to give me the transportation schedule, but no dice. Those fuckers over at County just don't wanna play nice with us city cops."

I snapped my eyes to Eddie. "You think they could be giving Joe a hard time 'cause he's TPD?" My voice was probably a little louder then I meant it to be, but I could feel the hackles rise on the back of my neck. I was sick and tired of taking all the crap that had been dished out to me lately and I stood there with my fists clenched, ready to do battle.

"Whoa, Steph. Take it easy," Eddie said with a laugh. "You know that there's always been a little healthy competition between city and county. Hell, you've been to our softball games. Weren't you the one who called the County guys the Pansy Patrol?"

Okay, so I had to smile at that one. There was always a lot of banter at the games, but it was all good natured fun and County always gave back as good as they got … well, they tried.

"Other than a few insults about questionable parentage or sexual prowess that get tossed back and forth over the bar at Pino's," he grinned, "there's never been any real trouble. On the job we've all always treated each other with professional courtesy and respect, and on those _rare_ occasions when we've been 'guests' in each other's facilities, everything's always been copasetic."

I chewed on that for a minute. "Okay, okay, if you say so. I guess I'll take your word for it that everything's all right." I still wasn't entirely sure that I believed everybody was all that buddy-buddy.

"Look, Morelli's a tough guy, he knows the score and he can take care of himself. The County guys probably got read the riot act by the Attorney General's Office so they're playing everything strictly by the book. The AG doesn't want anybody popping up and bitchin' that Joe got special treatment because he's a fellow police officer."

Bob tugged on the leash, ready to continue his perimeter check, so we rounded the corner and waited again while Bob returned a message left on his turf by an intruder. "But," Eddie added seriously, "if we ever find out that anything else went on, I can guarantee that there'll be some righteous County ass kicking!"

I nodded in agreement and blew out a heavy sigh. "Tomorrow can't come fast enough. I've been a mess since this whole thing started, Ed. All I really want right now is to get Joe bailed out and bring him home."

Eddie just nodded and squeezed my hand. "I know, Steph. We'll get him home as fast as we can."

Yeah, I thought as we continued to the next corner, then I'd be able to slip back into denial and pretend that everything was just peachy, at least until the trial started. I absently rubbed the base of my skull where my perpetual tension headache was throbbing. I'd taken so many Advils these last couple of days that probably I rattled like a pill bottle when I walked.

"Word on the street has it that you turned down pineapple upside down cake." He arched an eyebrow at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, God! Please don't tell me that my mother called you?" I groaned.

He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. "She's worried about you. We all are. You look like you've been on a three day bender, Steph."

"Yeah, well, lack of sleep will do that to ya," I crabbed. We'd walked all the way around the block by then, and were standing on the front walk again. "I guess I'm weirded out being here by myself," I said, tipping my head toward the house and shrugging.

"Why don't you come over and spend the night at our house? Shirley and the kids would love to see you. We can watch a game on TV, nosh on chips and dip, have a couple of beers. I'll get Shirley to bake a cake or brownies or cookies or something. You can bunk in the guest room. Wadda ya say?" He gave me a hopeful smile.

"Ha! You forget that I know you, Gazarra. You're just thinking that Shirley'll let you ditch the diet and binge on junk food if you have company."

"Who? Me?" Eddie tried to look innocent, and failed. "Actually, I was hoping you'd volunteer to baby sit the kids sometime." He laughed at the look of horror on my face. "But honest, the invitation's legit. All you have to do is show up at the door. Okay?"

"Okay. And thanks for looking out for me, Eddie." He pulled me into a bear hug and then got into his cruiser.

Bob and I stood at the curb, waving to Eddie as he pulled away. I turned to go back up the front walk and noticed the big, shiny, black SUV that glided into the curb and parked down on the corner. Big Brother was watching me. Just freaking swell!

As upset as I was over Joe being jailed for the past three days, that's how relieved I was that I didn't have to put up with any of Ranger's nonsense. I had been blissfully Ranger free since Tank and Lester and Bobby had pulled us apart in the hall outside Ranger's penthouse.

The more I thought about it, the happier I was that I had gotten in that one good punch. So okay, my hand was still sore, but it was worth it. Ranger was always so in control, that nothing shook him or made him react. That stunned look on his face when I connected with his cheek was payment enough for my swollen knuckles. I only wished I'd given him a black eye or broken that perfectly patrician nose of his. You know, the one he liked to look down at everybody. Did I mention that I was glad I socked him? I hope it left a great big bruise!

Anyway, after another sleepless night at Joe's, I troweled on concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes, pounded on Vinnie's front door at the crack of dawn, and dragged his sorry ass out of the house by his tie, which was the only part of him I was willing to touch. I wanted him in the courthouse so that he could post Joe's bail as soon as the judge set it. I didn't want to waste any time getting Joe bonded out of there and back home, and I didn't want to take a chance that Vinnie would be locked in his office playing Old MacDonald's Farm with Joyce Barnyard when Joe was being arraigned. Of course Vinnie made a bee line down to the prisoner holding areas so he could drum up business, but that was okay, as long as I could get my hands on him, so to speak, when I needed him.

It was almost 4 o'clock and I'd been sitting in the courtroom so long my ass was numb. The long, hard, wooden pews and the high altar-like judge's bench made the place feel like church. I guess that was the whole idea though, make the prisoners feel guilty, feel like they were standing in front of God in hopes that they'd all fall on their knees and confess their sins so that they'd be forgiven. Ha! The fact that it didn't work out that way is what kept bail bondsmen, prisons, and bounty hunters in business.

One after another, the prisoners were brought in from the holding cells on one side of the courtroom, and their lawyers came in through a door on the other side. They met in the middle of the room and stood in front of the bored-to-tears judge to enter their pleas. Amazingly, every single one of them pleaded not guilty.

The ADA would ask for either bail or remand, the lawyer would argue the amount, the judge would make a decision, bang his gavel and they would walk out, passing the next prisoner and his lawyer on their way in. After a while, all the prisoners and all the lawyers started to look alike and I was thinking that I wasn't even gonna recognize Joe when it was finally his turn.

My caffeine high was beginning to wear off and I'm pretty sure I zoned out for a little bit. I was wondering if Rinaldi and Malfitano would be here for the arraignment and then the courtroom sort of faded away and I was remembering what Rinaldi had said to me back in Joe's living room, after Joe had been arrested.

"Call somebody to stay with you," Rinaldi had said softly, his hand on my shoulder, sympathy just dripping off of him. "You shouldn't be alone." He went down the front steps, then stopped and turned back to me. "Remember, this isn't your fault. Don't go blaming yourself." He gave me a nod and followed Malfitano as he escorted Joe to their unmarked car.

I watched Rinaldi go down the walk, shoulders slumped, head bowed, as if he hated what he was doing. He opened the back door of the car and put his hand on Joe's head so he wouldn't bump it when he got into the back seat. Joe looked back at me, his eyes just holding mine. He mouth, 'I'm sorry,' as Rinaldi slammed the car door shut.

I bolted out the door and ran down to the curb. "Please," I begged. "Can I talk to him for a minute?" Malfitano rolled his eyes in annoyance and muttered under his breath. "Just for a minute?" I swiped away the tears that streamed down my face. Until just then, I hadn't even realized that I was crying.

Rinaldi shot his partner a look. "Sure," he nodded at me. "Go ahead." He shoved Malfitano toward the front of the car. Their idea of privacy, I guess.

Joe sat forward on the edge of the seat, not able to sit back because his hands were cuffed behind him. I had to squat down next to the car to talk to him. I reached through the open window to put my hand on his cheek and he leaned into it.

"I'm sorry…" we both said at the same time and stopped. Any other time we'd have laughed or made some wise crack, but there wasn't anything to joke about now.

"I _am_ sorry for what I said, Steph. It was stupid," Joe said softly. "I've been tied up in knots waiting for this to happen," he pointed his chin toward the two cops leaning against the front of the car, "and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have, especially when you thought you were helping."

This wasn't the time for a confession. It might have been good for my soul, but right now Joe didn't need to know about my close call with Ranger. He already had enough problems to deal with. Confessing my sins would have to wait for another day, so I just nodded. "It's okay," I choked out.

"Please don't cry. Believe me when I tell you that everything's gonna turn out okay. You don't have anything to worry about. A couple of days and I'll be home, and life can go back to normal again."

I gave him a weepy smile at that one. When had our lives ever been normal? "Promise?" I whispered, desperate for any kind of assurance.

"I'd pinkie swear," he said with a small smile and rattled his cuffs, "but I'm a little tied up right now." Cop humor … SO not funny.

"Joe …" I started, but he cut me off.

"I mean it, Steph. You don't have to worry about me. Come here and give me a kiss." He leaned toward the window.

"Okay, that's it," Malfitano snarked impatiently. "No necking in cop cars. You two are gonna put me into a diabetic coma with all this sugary shit. Hurry up. Say good-bye and let's get this show on the road."

I leaned through the window to kiss Joe but Malfitano grabbed my elbow and jerked me away from the car hard enough that I stumbled back and smacked my head on the roof of the car. By the time the stars cleared and I could see straight, they were already halfway down the street.

I stood there long after the tail lights had disappeared, not really wanting to go back into that empty house. Even with the black SUV parked down the street, I felt completely alone. And that scared the shit out of me.

I had no clue if I'd fallen asleep or was daydreaming or what, but my eyes flew open when I heard someone say my name and felt them pat my knee. I was back in the courtroom and Big Dog was sitting on one side of me and Eddie just slid into the seat on the other side.

"Hey Steph," Carl said from behind me, his hand on my shoulder. "We thought you could use a little company."

I smiled and leaned my head on Eddie's shoulder for a second. I heard a lot of shuffling and murmuring and turned to look. A steady stream of uniforms and plain clothes and civilian workers from the station, even Joe's Lieutenant and Captain, had made their way into the courtroom, filling the seats and standing along the side and back walls.

Tears that I had been fighting all day stung my eyes again. It looked like everybody who wasn't on the clock was here in a show of support for Joe. It would do him good to see that they all believed in him as much as I did.

"All rise!" that bailiff yelled and we all go to our feet as a different judge sat down at the bench. I thought I knew every judge and court official in Trenton, but this was definitely somebody I'd never seen before. When we sat back down again I leaned over to Eddie and whispered, "Who's that?"

"Probably an out of district Judge they brought in to handle Joe's case." When I raised my eyebrows at him, he explained. "Morelli knows all the Prosecutors and Judges. I'm sure they all had to recuse themselves so there wouldn't be a conflict of interest. They probably got a Special Prosecutor, too."

I watched enough cop and court shows on television to know that this could happen, and yet it had never crossed my mind. What else was gonna sneak up on me and throw me for a loop? I didn't have to wait long to find out.

This wasn't the first time I'd been to an arraignment, so I should have known what to expect. But when the door opened and Joe came into the courtroom, my throat closed up and I couldn't breathe. Eddie's hand tightened around my fingers and Big Dog put his hand on my other arm, leaning closer to me. "Take it easy, Steph," he whispered. "Everything's all right. This is textbook."

Joe shuffled into the room, his hands cuffed to the chain around his waist, his feet shackled. He was dressed in the bright orange jumpsuit that state prisoners wore, NJDC, New Jersey Department of Corrections, stamped across the back. He stood there while the guards removed the cuffs and shackles, then rubbed his wrists as he walked over to meet his lawyer in front of the defendant's podium.

He glanced over and sent me a small smile and a wink. I leaned forward, my hands gripping the railing in front of me so hard that my knuckles turned white. Eddie put a hand on my arm and gently pulled me back onto the bench and slung an arm around my shoulders.

The Court Clerk called out, "Docket number 0-9-4-1-2-2-6-0, People v Morelli, Joseph Anthony. One count Murder in the first."

The judge looked at the file in front of him for a few seconds, then looked up at Joe and his lawyer. "How do you plead?"

"Mark Cutler for the Defense, Your Honor. My client pleads not guilty." Joe's lawyer answered for him. "We seek release on his own recognizance or, at most, minimal bail."

The judge turned to look at the Prosecutor, a woman dressed in a power suit and heels so high they made my arches ache just to look at them. She didn't look at all like a civil servant, more like one of those plastic TV anchor bimbos, only without the fake smile.

"Claudia Montenegro, Special Prosecutor for this case, Judge. The People ask that Mr. Morelli be remanded to the custody of the Department of Corrections to be held without bond at this time." She stood there, studying Morelli's reactions as she spoke. Joe looked straight ahead at the judge, calm and in control. I, on the other hand, was ready to vault the railing and snatch her bald-headed.

"Your Honor," Joe's lawyer all but rolled his eyes. "With all due respect to the Prosecutor, Mr. Morelli is a highly respected member of the Trenton Police Department. He's a detective with ten years on the force and an unblemished record. He is a property owner, has family here in the city, and is hardly a flight risk."

"Ms. Montenegro?" The Judge turned for her rebuttal.

"Mr. Cutler must think that the People haven't done their homework, Judge. Three years ago, Mr. Morelli," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice, "this police detective with the unblemished record, was also charged with murder. In flagrant disregard for the laws he's sworn to uphold, he skipped bail and was brought in by a bounty hunter. The People see no reason to believe that he won't repeat his past bad behavior."

Cutler jumped to Joe's defense. "Detective Morelli was exonerated and all charges against him were dropped. He was re…"

"Save it Mr. Cutler," the Judge cut in. "The Defendant is hereby remanded. No bail!" He banged his gavel and that was it. Joe wouldn't be coming home.

I was on my feet, the grumbles from the cops in the courtroom sounded like a swarm of bees buzzing around my head, and little black dots danced in front of my eyes. Panic made the bile rise in my throat and the whole room spun a little. I watched Joe's shoulders sag, and when he turned to look at me, I could tell he hadn't expected this either, he expected to be going home too.

Joe talked to his lawyer for a minute, the guards standing far enough away to give them privacy. Since the guards were Trenton guys they walked Joe back to the holding area by way of the rail where I was standing with Eddie and the rest of the cops. The guys were like a cheering section. They all encouraged Joe, told him not to worry, that they were all pulling for him, knew he was innocent, and that they'd all take care of me.

One of the guards winked at me and stopped to tie his shoe lace, giving us a chance to grab each other's hands. Words stuck in my throat and when I tried to talk to Joe, it just came out as a sob. He wiped away the tears on my cheeks and gave me a kiss, and then he was gone. My knees turned to water and sort of gave out under me when the floor tilted again. I wound up sitting on the bench with my head down in my lap.

Somebody pressed a Coke into my hands, probably figuring that a blast of caffeine and sugar would cure what ailed me. They were right, and a few minutes later I was walking out of the courtroom, still a little dizzy and dazed, but under my own steam. Big Dog and Carl pushed open the courtroom doors and I walked out into the hall to find Tank waiting for me.

"Hey, Steph. You okay?" Tank asked, concern written all over his face. He took my by the arm and led me away from the crowd.

I shrugged. "Seems to be the question of the day, Tank. I'll be all right … eventually, I guess. What are you doing here?"

"Checking on a friend," he said with a smile. "And delivering a message." He looked a little embarrassed.

I was just too tired to deal with Ranger. "What now, Tank?" Tears were welling and threatening to spill over any second now.

"Ranger wanted you to know that he'll be going back to Miami. If you need anything at all, you should call RangeMan." Tank pulled out a neatly folded white handkerchief and handed it to me and I blotted my eyes. "_I'm_ telling you that you should call me. Understood?"

I nodded wearily. "Yes sir," I gave him a weak smile. "But you didn't have to come all the way down here just to tell me that. You could have phoned that in, Tank." Tank shuffled his big feet and looked at the floor. "What?" I pressed. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Tank was easy for me to read and I could see he was having an internal debate with himself. Must be a moral dilemma. He blew out a big sigh, his decision obviously made. "You have to give me your word that you won't let Ranger know that I told you. I mean it." Tank was dead serious.

"No problem, Tank. What's going on?" He was starting to worry me and I laid my hand on his arm.

He hesitated for a few seconds. "I was supposed to take care of Morelli's bail if he had trouble making it."

I think my eyes almost popped right out of my head. Ranger was going to make Morelli's bail? That was my second biggest shock today. "I'd have bet big bucks that Morelli being locked up would have just made Ranger's day." I was dumbfounded and had a hard time wrapping my head around Ranger's sudden generosity.

Tank studied my face. "He wasn't trying to make himself happy, Steph," he said so softly I almost didn't hear him. With that, he bent down and planted a kiss on my cheek, then turned and walked away before I could ask him what the hell he was talking about.

I was still staring after Tank when Robin Russell came up beside me. "Come on, Steph. I'm your taxi." She linked her arm through mine. "We're going to get something to eat and you look like you could use a great big drink. I sure know I could." It was useless to argue with her. So I just resigned myself and went along. My car would find its way home, and Bob would be walked and fed, courtesy of the boys in blue. True to their word to Joe, they were already taking care of me.

An order of Nachos al Carbon, another of Chicken Quesadillas, and three Mega-Margaritas later, I was feeling nooooo pain. I'm not quite sure how I wound up at my parents' house, but there I was, giggling my drunken head off and crawling up the stairs on all fours. I stripped off my clothes as I stumbled down the hall, my mother right behind me, picking them up. The last thing I remembered was falling face down onto the bed in my old room, my mother yammering, scandalized that I was sleeping naked.

Sometime during the night, the drift of fingers up and down my back woke me. "I want you," he whispered in the dark, and I smiled as he pulled me closer. I wanted him, too. His hands burrowed into my hair, lifted it up off my neck and replaced it with his soft lips. He trailed a necklace of kisses over my neck and across my shoulders, sending delicious shivers through me.

His hands, feather light, seemed to be everywhere, my arms, my back, my waist, my butt. I had no defenses. Helpless against the sensations he was causing, I could only lie there and let him continue to torture me. His hands slipped around to my breasts, my belly, my thighs. He stroked and kneaded, plucked and teased. Everywhere he touched me he lit another fire until I burned for him.

He turned me in his arms and I pressed my lips to his, sighing as our mouths finally settled on each other. Softly, gently at first, tongues gliding, tasting, the kiss slowly grew deeper, more intimate and erotic.

Without breaking the kiss, he turned us and laid me back onto the bed, then settled his delicious weight over me, pressing me into the mattress. My fingers curled into his warm skin, my nails bit into his corded muscles. His mouth slid down my neck, tasting and teasing, his tongue dipping into the hollow at the base of my throat making me breathe out a sigh.

"I need you," his whispered words floated above me.

Desire curled around me like a snake, down to my toes and up to my shoulders, out to the tips of my fingers. He was all I wanted, all I needed. I was hypnotized by his lips and teeth and tongue. Warm, wet kisses, small nips and bites, pleasure bordering on pain. Like a wire strung tight, I quivered with each touch.

His mouth closed over my breast, licking and sucking. I could feel each tug echo through me. His fingers slipped into me and I rocked against him looking for release. He brought me to the very edge and left me trembling there. Removing his wet fingers from me, he stroked them over his long, thick shaft and, spreading my thighs, he slowly sank into me.

"I love you," drifted out of the dark and filled my heart the way he filled my body.

Gently, he moved so gently inside me, taking me higher, winding me tighter with each thrust. He held me teetering on the edge for so long that forgot how to breathe and tears slid down my face. When release finally came, it wasn't with a scream, but with a sigh of absolute joy. It rolled through us like waves, cresting over and over again. I clutched him to me so that I wouldn't drown in the sheer pleasure of it.

I was wanted, I was needed, I was loved.

Face to face, I could feel his heart hammer against mine. "Look at me, Stephanie," the voice whispered.

I tried, but I couldn't lift my eyelids. I just couldn't make my eyes open.

"See me. See who I really am. See me, Stephanie … See me …" The whisper faded away.

I woke up with a pounding headache and rolling stomach. I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to decide if I should get up or just burrow back under the covers for another twelve hours. My screaming bladder made the decision for me. I wrapped the bedspread around myself, picked up my freshly washed and ironed clothes, thanks Mom, and staggered into the bathroom.

It was while I was standing under the blistering hot shower that I remembered the dream. I blamed it on the spicy food that I ate before I started swilling Margaritas. That'll teach me. Too bad my parents didn't have a shower massager; I sure could have used it considering the flashbacks I was having.

The bizarre thing was that the dream was so real that I actually checked myself out in the mirror to see if there were any marks on me. I mean, if you look at me too hard it leaves a bruise. But there wasn't anything anywhere.

I guess that was a good thing, especially since I realized that I didn't even know who the guy in the dream was. I was pretty sure it had to be Joe or Ranger … I'd had lots of hot dreams about both of them. Of course, I'd had hot dreams about lots of guys so I just tried to shrug it off. Dreams aren't supposed to make sense. Hell, one time I even had a dream about Vinnie and he… Never mind. I'll just make myself barf again.

Still, I couldn't get rid of the words that were swimming around in my head. 'See me. See who I really am.' Who was I supposed to see? And why? I chewed on that question while I dried my hair and slathered on some make up. I didn't want to scare my parents.

Always the dutiful daughter, I went back into the bedroom to make the bed and that's when I saw it. Sitting there, on the dresser, in front of the mirror …

The McDonald's bag.

TBC …

A/N: So, does Steph have a Dream Lover, or a real life lover? How did the McD's bag get into her room? What do you think about Ranger being willing to post bond for Morelli? So many questions … but what are the answers?

A/N: I apologize that this chapter took so long to get here, but Real Life is still kicking my butt, big time. Once this month is over, I should get my life back, but who knows what fresh hell is waiting for me in April.

I'll try my best to do better.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I tried to reply to each and every review, I'm sorry if I missed anyone. Please know that every review is precious to me.

Stayce


	13. Prisoner of Love!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor Extraordinaire, for everything, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support. I love you … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_True love is not measured by what we say._

_True love is measured by what we do._

_Anonymous_

_**Chapter 13: Prisoner of Love!**_

Ohh-kay, I was seeing things here! I blinked at the McDonald's bag on the dresser, my eyes obviously playing tricks on my poor, alcohol soaked brain. I rubbed my eyes and looked again but that didn't help any, so I squinched my eyes tight shut and shook my head, _hard_, trying to clear my vision. All I managed to do was make myself dizzy. Okay, dizzier. My head pounded, my stomach rolled, and when I opened my eyes, the bag was still there anyway. What the hell? How did it get here? Where did it come from? What was going on? Oh, God! I felt like crap and I was so confused.

I sat down, really slowly, in the little chair at the dressing table and held my aching head in my hands. I mean, there had to be a logical explanation, right? It's just that finding it while I was this hung over might be an issue. Maybe I was still drunk? Maybe I was hallucinating? Oh, wait! I know! I was still asleep! This was all part of the dream. That's what it was and when I really woke up, there wouldn't be a McDonald's bag sitting on the dresser. Problem solved! I looked over at the bed to see if I was still in it. Nope. It was empty. Dammit!

I really shouldn't complain about the dream though, 'cause let's face it, as dreams go, this was probably the best, most realistic dream I'd ever had in my whole entire life, including all the ones I'd had about Johnny Depp. This was the kind of dream you dream about having and I sure hope that I remember it all when I wake up. I should probably write down all the details, huh?

You know, I don't know that I actually ever had sex like that while I was awake. Okay, okay maybe once or twice, but that was only with 'you know who'. Considering the current state of our relationship, the possibility of us ever having sex again was like … slim to the infinite power of none. So I guess I shouldn't bitch about it and just take what I could get when I could get it. Even if it was only dream sex. Right? But let me tell you, that was some phenomenal dream sex. And that orgasm? Don't get me started! It went on forever! It was all so real that I thought for sure I'd find some kind of telltale signs on my body. Unfortunately there wasn't anything to find ... nothing at all but that extra roll of fat around my waist from all my recent stess eating! Dammit!

Hey! Could you even have orgasms in dreams? Or was it like when you're dreaming about falling and you wake up just before you actually go 'splat'? Well, whatever. With Joe locked up, it looked like my sex life was gonna have a loooong dry spell. I guess I'd better stop on my way home and pick up a shower massager… six speed, turbo model.

I sat with my head propped in my hand until the tantalizing aroma of all that lovely French fry grease finally registered in my still-fuzzy brain and pretty much convinced me that I had to be awake. Still, I approached the McDonald's bag cautiously, like it was filled with snakes, just in case. I'd already had one snake-filled bag in my life, and dream or reality, no way in hell did I want another. After all, almost everything bad that had happened to me in the last couple of months had been because of Eddie Abruzzi. Even dead he'd managed to screw up my life. I wouldn't put it past him to invade my dreams, too.

I watched the bag for a minute, but it didn't move so I flinked it with my finger and jumped back. I thought I heard the snakes hiss and tried to run, tripped over my own feet, and landed on my ass. Then I realized it was just ice rattling, so I gave myself a mental head slap for being a wuss, sucked it up, and opened the bag. Extra large Coke and jumbo fries … no snakes.

Okay, here's another thing. There weren't a whole lot of people who knew about 'The Cure'. Mary Lou, Lula, and Connie didn't even know I had tied one on last night, so none of them would have brought it. Joe was locked up and I seriously doubt they'd let him out just so he could bring me McDonald's. Cross him off the list, too. And Ranger? Well, apparently he only visited me in my dreams these days, and anyhow, he was in Miami. I heaved a deep sigh, picked up the bag with two fingers and took it downstairs with me to the one person who might be able to solve the mystery.

My mother was standing at the kitchen sink, scrubbing a small mountain of potatoes and singing along to her i-pod, _Bad Moon on the Rise_, I think. Hopefully that wasn't some kind of premonition. My life was bad enough right now and I didn't know how much more I could take without having a complete break down. I was scared and confused and more than a little lost.

I stood in the doorway, closed my eyes, and inhaled the aroma of pot roast cooking in the oven, and pineapple upside-down cake cooling on the counter. All my anxiety seemed to fade away, and I felt myself starting to calm down. I always thought I was pretty lucky that way. Other people took Xanax or Valium … all I ever needed was comfort food.

"Oh, good you're up," Mom said when she saw me standing there. "I was beginning to think you went back to bed." She looked me over and gave me a nod of approval. "You look a lot better than you did last night. How do you feel? Do you want me to make you a sandwich to go with your Coke and fries?" She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and pointed at the fridge.

"You know about this?" I squeaked, holding up the bag. "You brought this upstairs?"

My mother gave me the same look she used on Val and me when we were kids and asked dumb questions. Okay, so she used it on me because Val was Princess Perfect and never asked dumb questions. "Good grief," Mom rolled her eyes and shook her head. "How do you think it got up to your room, elves?" I was instantly ten years old all over again.

"But Mom," I whined, "where did it come from? Did somebody bring it? I mean … you didn't go out and get it, did you?"

My mother gave me The Look again. "Now Stephanie, why would I go all the way to McDonald's and buy you _that_," she pointed at the bag, her lip curled in disgust, "when right here, in my own kitchen, I could make you a decent homemade breakfast? You could have had anything you wanted … pancakes, waffles, French toast, eggs. But nooooo! _You_ had to have Coke and fries." She snorted and poured herself a cup of coffee, then sat down at the kitchen table. "What kind of a way is that to start your day, even if it is almost four o'clock?" she muttered.

"So where …" I started.

"He asked me to call him this morning, so I did." She busied herself adding sugar and cream to the cup while I stared at her in total confusion.

"Him?" I asked, suddenly suspicious. "Him who?"

My mother sighed and put her cup down on the table. "Good grief, Stephanie. What's the matter with you today? Maybe you should go back to bed and I'll call you when dinner's ready." She cut herself a tiny sliver of the coffee cake that sat on a paper doily on a cake plate.

"Mom! Who?" I demanded.

"Well, Carlos, of course. And he asked me to call him Carlos. Isn't that sweet?" She just smiled and took a sip of her coffee.

"Carlos? Ranger? _Ranger_ asked you to call him?" I was dumbfounded, not entirely surprising, all things considered. "When did you talk to _him_?"

"Last night, when he stopped by," she said like I should have known.

"Last night?" I was having difficulty processing this information. "Ranger was here _last night_?" I could hear something like hysteria tinge my voice. "When? What time?" I practically fell into the chair across from my mother.

"Right after you went upstairs and passed out. I know you were upset about Joseph, but really Stephanie! Getting drunk certainly doesn't help matters. Every neighbor on the block heard you come in, singing at the top of your lungs! And the way you stripped off your clothes while you stumbled through the house … right in front of your father and grandmother! Honestly!" She turned and shook a finger at me. "Those thong things you wear are just scandalous. Now your Grandmother wants to go and buy some for herself. What happens if she puts them out on the wash line? The neighbors might think that they belong to me!" She shuddered and looked heavenward. I could practically hear the, 'Why me, God?'

I was ready to pull my hair out. "Mom! _Forget the damn thong_. What did Ranger want?"

"Don't you curse at me, young lady! He wanted to talk to you, but I couldn't very well let him go upstairs and wake you up."

I put a finger to my twitching eye as she looked at me over the rim of her cup. "Why not?" I asked as calmly as I could muster.

"Stephanie! You were naked! What kind of girl would he think you were if he found out you slept in the nude?"

The same kind of girl who was living with Morelli and having balls to the wall sex every chance she got? I rubbed my hands over my face. "Did he happen to mention what he wanted to talk to me about?"

"He said he was going back to Miami," she shrugged. "I suppose he wanted to say good-bye."

I had to wonder if he _did_ say good-bye … in a very up close and personal way. "So what about this?" I shook the bag in front of her face.

"Carlos said that he'd send something special to help you with the hang over you were going to have today, and that I should call him as soon as I heard you moving around. So, I did and a few minutes later a very nice young man showed up at the door with that," she nodded toward the bag. "I put it on the dresser while you were in the shower. You better eat it before it gets cold."

I took a long slurp of the Coke and shoveled fries into my mouth. I swear I could feel the caffeine and salt and grease coursing through my veins right to my brain.

"Really, that Carlos is so nice and polite. Such lovely manners, obviously well brought up. That jacket he was wearing was cashmere and his car ... You know Stephanie, you could do a lot worse." Uh-oh, I could see the wheels turning in her head. Never a good thing. "Too bad he's in Miami." She sipped her coffee and nibbled on her cake thoughtfully. What do you want to bet that my mother is planning something?

"If you only knew, Mom," I sighed. Yeah, if she only knew what nice, polite Carlos had in mind for me she'd probably have a stroke. Well, I guess the McDonald's mystery was solved … sort of. Now all I had to do was find out what the hell Ranger was up to…

I felt a lot better after I finished the fries and Coke. Probably I should have had them before I tried to figure out what was going on. At least my brain wouldn't have been as fuzzy and maybe I wouldn't have been so confused. Of course, confused was my normal state of being these days.

Mom spread newspaper over the table and put the colander of scrubbed potatoes between us, handed me a vegetable peeler and the two of us got to work. I peeled, she quartered and plopped them in a pot of water. This was about as close to cooking as she let me get in her kitchen, and I wasn't gonna complain. At least we knew the smoke alarms wouldn't be going off.

My mother was a creature of habit and subtlety has never been her strong suit. The way she kept sighing was a dead giveaway that there was something on her mind that she didn't know how to bring up. She opened her mouth a couple of times, but nothing came out. I decided to give her a break for once; after all, making me pot roast and pineapple upside down cake was the Plum family equivalent of her climbing up on the roof and yelling to the world that she loved me.

"Okay, what's the matter, Mom?" I glanced up at her as I picked up another potato.

Mom took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, like she was trying to steel herself. "I know that this whole Abruzzi situation has been terrible for you what with you being questioned and being a suspect, and then Joe being arrested and charged with this horrible crime. I don't want to add to those problems but there have been some very … ugly … rumors being spread around town. Your father and I decided that you needed to hear about them from us, so that you wouldn't be blindsided."

"Mom, this is the Burg. Somebody always has something to say, butting in where they don't belong about stuff they don't know anything about. It happens all the time. What's the big deal?" I shrugged it all off.

Mom took a deep breath. "Because it's all coming from Angie Morelli! She was going to be your mother-in-law! Family, for God's sake. She's going around town telling anyone who'll listen to her that it's all _your_ fault that Joseph is in jail. She's saying that if he wasn't associated with 'a woman like you', none of this would have happened. She's saying that you _lured_ Joseph into this trouble, that you used _sex_ to get him to take the blame for this murder and to cover for you." My mother was outraged.

I snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, I'm a regular Mata Hari, all right! A real femme fatale."

"Stephanie, this isn't funny!" She got up and grabbed the coffee pot. "Your reputation is at stake here. She's telling people that you took advantage of him." She filled a cup for me and thumped the pot down on the table.

"Right. Like I lured _him_ into his father's garage when I was six, and seduced _him_ on the floor of the Tasty Pastry when I was sixteen, and wrote about _myself_ on all those walls." My mother's eyes rolled so far back in her head that I was afraid she'd pass out.

"Oh God, don't remind me!" My mother propped her head in her hands. "To make matters worse, Bella is claiming you used witchcraft!"

Okay, I really had to laugh at that one. "Oh yeah," I hooted. "Like Bella has a lot of room to talk, running around town having visions, threatening to curse people and give them the evil eye! Nobody believes that crap, Mom. You can ask all Joe's neighbors. They all keep an eye on everything we do. They'll be happy to tell you! I hardly ever dance naked around the backyard anymore, and I've cut way down on the animal sacrifices!" I rolled my eyes.

At least that made Mom smile. "Angie's saying it's your wanton gypsy blood," she said with a sigh as she rubbed her forehead, eyeing the pantry. I could practically hear Johnny Walker calling her name. Instead I got her a couple of Advil.

"Well, they covered all the angles, that's for sure. I'm either a Mata Hari, a gypsy, a witch or a bitch … take your pick." I stopped peeling, put my elbows on the table and propped my chin in my hands. "Look Mom, this whole thing started because I was looking for Evelyn and Annie Soder. But I was just trying to help Mabel. It wasn't like I went looking for trouble." God knows I didn't have to go looking for it; trouble had a way of finding me all by itself.

"I know that!" Mom's face flushed a little. "And so does she!" Mom was on a roll and there was no stopping her. "I don't know who that woman thinks she is. The Queen Bee forgets the reputation her son, Saint Joseph, had before he settled down with you. He was headed down the same path as the rest of the Morelli men. You saved him from that, Stephanie! Why, you were the best thing that ever happened to him!"

Wow! All I could do was sit and stare at her. It seemed that every conversation I had with my mother these days just got more and more bizarre. After years of being told that Joe was my last chance at the happiness of marriage, all of a sudden I'd become _his _salvation. My head started to pound again and I went in search of the Advil, for me this time.

When Mom picked up the paring knife and stabbed a potato with a vengeance, I reached over and snagged it out of her hand, figuring we'd both be a lot safer. "You proved him innocent the last time he was charged with murder,"she ranted. "That seems to be another nasty habit of his that his mother has conveniently forgotten! She has some nerve badmouthing you!" She wagged her finger at me. "I absolutely forbid you to marry into that family. They don't deserve you!"

I think I just heard hell freezing over. "Stick and stones, Mom. Angie and Bella can't hurt me."

"You might as well know it all. This morning I was at the butcher's, for the pot roast, you know," my mother huffed. "Angie said that she was going to change the locks on Joseph's house and put you out on the street." She picked up the vegetable peeler and slammed it back down on the table. "I'm so angry I could spit! Just who does she think she is?"

I leaned across the table and patted my mother's hand. "Don't worry, Mom. If Angie tries to pull anything she'll be in for a big surprise. I have Joe's power of attorney. I make all the decisions about the house and the bills and Bob and stuff. She can't throw me out, honest."

"Oh," my mother blinked at me and all her anger seemed to fade away. A very wicked smile slowly spread across her face. "Hmmmmm. Someone should probably tell her that." I had absolutely no doubt who that someone would be. "Well, enough talk," Mom pushed up from the table. "We have to get busy and finish making dinner. You do the rest of the potatoes, dear. I'll start on the glazed carrots." I watched her bustle around the kitchen, laughing to herself, glad I could make my mom so happy.

Well, I was mostly right. When I got home after dinner, it was clear that someone had been in the house. All the food that Angie brought over and put in the freezer was gone, the kitchen cabinets and the pantry were pretty much bare. I'm sure that she thought I was too stupid to feed myself and was hoping I'd starve to death. Good thing Mom had packed up three days worth of food for me.

Angie had taken the crocheted blanket and the throw pillows off of the couch, the candy dish from the coffee table, and the picture of the Last Supper off the wall in the dining room. In fact, everything that she had given us since I had moved in was gone, right down to the copy of _Cooking for Dummies_ that she gave me for Christmas. At least she left Bob and his food alone.

I looked around the empty kitchen for a minute, then pulled out the phone book and looked up locksmiths. I think tomorrow _I _was gonna have the locks changed on the house. Won't my mother be thrilled?

My life fell into a dull routine. I went back to work for Vinnie but thanks to the training and experience I got at RangeMan, I was able to leave the low bond skips to Lula, and take most of the mid-range ones myself. Of course, we still helped each other out when we needed it; after all, we were partners. I was able to put food in the fridge and pay the bills, so what if I wasn't happy. How could I be with Joe locked up?

My friends rallied around me and tried to make sure I wasn't too lonely. I went to dinner at Eddie's house, to the movies with Big Dog, and Carl asked me to his cousin's wedding, almost crippling me by stepping on my toes when we danced. There were a lot of girls' nights, both in and out. Every once in a while I went to Shorty's for Friday night pool and pizza with the Merry Men, but at the end of the day, I always came home to Bob and an empty house. As the days became weeks, and it looked like the weeks would turn into months, I got more and more depressed.

Bob mourned Joe, too. How do you explain to man's best friend that his best friend hadn't abandoned him? Bob went off his feed and lost weight. His normally exuberant, playful personality disappeared too. He even stopped eating the furniture and just lay on Joe's side of the couch all day watching the Food Network. He liked Emeril the best. I could tell because his tail thumped every time Emeril yelled, 'Bam!'

If I had been smart I would have bought stock in Tastykake and at least gained some benefit from all those empty calories I was scarfing down. I'm pretty sure the factory had to up the daily quota of Butterscotch Krimpets they manufactured to make up for the dent I put in the local market. The fact that my ass grew in direct proportion to the number of Krimpets I ate really shouldn't have come as any surprise, but it did. If I wasn't careful, pretty soon I'd be waddling after my skips instead of running.

Ben & Jerry, the two other most important men in my life weren't hurting either. Like I said before, all I ever needed was comfort food. Too bad that, like any addict, I needed more and more to achieve the same effect. Too depressed to do anything about it, surrounded by Krimpet wrappers and empty B&J containers, I'd just lay down with Bob and fall asleep on the couch every night, just waiting for Tuesdays.

I lived for Tuesdays because that's when I got to see Joe. I got to spend every Tuesday morning, from eight to nine, with him. Well, to be more precise, I got to sit on one side of a nasty, chicken wire reinforced Plexiglas window and talk to Joe on the crappy plastic phone that was attached to the disgusting slime green wall. I wasn't so sure the slime green was actually paint. But let's not go there.

The first time I went to visit him, the phone stuck to my hand when I tried to hang it up. I tried real hard not to think about what that 'glue' was, but from then on, I always brought a little travel pack of anti-bacterial wipes with me. After all, a girl couldn't be too careful. I guess I shouldn't bitch. At least I could get up and leave but poor Joe was stuck there. No pun intended.

I'd been mailed a long list of conditions, dress codes, rules, regulations, no-nos, and hoops I had to jump through just to get to see Joe. I mean, I understand about security and all, but this was ridiculous. There were all kinds of forms to be filled out and clearances to be gotten. I'd had to sign away my rights to privacy so that my purse, vehicle, and person could be searched, stripped, dumped, patted down, dismantled, wanded, scanned, or anything else the guards decided was necessary. After catching a look at the female guards who'd be doing any strip searches, I only brought the bare necessities into the prison with me, or so I thought.

I guess I was used to the more relaxed atmosphere of the jail in Trenton. For my first visit with Joe, I made the near fatal mistake of carrying my purse. I'm pretty sure you know what my purse looks like. It's this big black hole where all sorts of things have been sucked in and disappeared, never to be seen again. When the guards searched it, not only did I almost get booted out on my ass … permanently, I almost got arrested! Seems they found a 'suspicious object' stuck to the bottom of the bag. When they scanned it, it turned out to be two half melted Lifesavers, an old gum wrapper, part of a used Kleenex and a bullet, all stuck together.

The guards didn't understand that this was the purse equivalent of belly button lint and they totally freaked out. Sirens went off, the whole prison went into lock down mode, guards were barring the doors, SWAT guys came pouring into the room; I was jumped by half a dozen guards, thrown to the floor, cuffed and carted off. It was humiliating!

I guess they thought I was trying to sneak weapons into the prison or something, but once they realized that I used to be The Bombshell Bounty Hunter and had a reputation for getting myself into screwy situations, they cut me some slack. I'd had to do a lot of quick thinking and fast talking which was never an easy thing for me at 8 am. I managed to talk my way out of the cuffs, but I had to endure a lecture from the prison warden that would have made my mother proud. But at least everything got worked out and I finally got to see Joe. Thank God I remembered to leave my gun and cuffs home in the cookie jar!

When I finally saw Joe, he told me that the minute the sirens went off he knew I'd arrived. Har-dee-har-har. Personally, I didn't find any humor in the whole situation but since he looked so tired and pale, I didn't give him any heat over it. At least he had a good laugh over my changing the locks. Apparently Angie was furious that her key no longer worked. Tough!

Anyway, Joe actually had two visiting hours a week. The other one was on Thursday afternoons at 3pm, which would have been perfect for me. I could have slept in, taken my time with hair and makeup, had lunch, even caught a skip or two. But Angie Morelli and Grandma Bella let it be known, all over town, that since _they_ went to 7 o'clock Mass _and Communion_ every morning, a sacrifice they made for Poor Joseph, and _I_ didn't, they'd be taking the afternoon visiting hour. Fine! They could have it! And actually it worked out really well. I didn't have to share my hour with them, and Grandma Bella didn't have to try to give me the evil eye.

Every Tuesday Joe looked a little paler, a little thinner and a whole lot more stressed. I suspected prison food was pretty nasty, but all I could do was make sure that there was plenty of money in his prison account so he could get snacks and stuff at the Commissary if he wanted them. I also knew that the weight loss had more to do with stress than with the food. I wanted so badly to just put my arms around him and tell him that everything would be okay.

Along with feeling helpless sitting in prison, I guess it finally struck him that if he was convicted, he could be here for years and years, maybe even the rest of his life. And for something he didn't do. That thought had to be terrifying for him. No wonder he wasn't sleeping. He tried to reassure me, tried to sound positive, but his smile never quite reached his eyes.

Joe's trial date had been set for four months from now and his lawyer, Mark Cutler, had told him that it would take every minute of that time to build a defense. Cutler had called me, needing money to hire a private investigator, but Joe's bank account was rapidly disappearing. Lawyers sure didn't work for free.

I guess that snapped me to attention and I told Connie and Vinnie that I'd take on any skip they had, even if he was outside my comfort zone. I'd work my ass off to make sure Joe had the best defense money could buy. I managed to shake off my depression and even started running again. I gave up the 'comfort' that Tastykakes and Ben & Jerry's provided, putting the money I didn't spend in a jar I'd labeled 'Defense Fund' instead.

I sat at my assigned window at the CC a couple of Tuesdays later and waited for the guards to bring Joe in. I usually just chattered away about regular day to day, upbeat stuff, like how I'd taken Bob to the park and tried to teach him to catch a Frisbee, but unfortunately, he didn't grasp the whole concept. Bob would bark and leap around, I'd throw the Frisbee, and he'd sit down and wait for me to fetch it. I figured this might give Joe a laugh. I certainly wasn't going to tell him about the skips I'd been picking up, or any of the problems I'd had with them, or my trips to the emergency room. He had enough on his mind. At least I was making sure that he didn't have any money worries to add to the mix.

The door on the prison side of the window opened and Joe shuffled in. The guard released him from the cuffs that were attached to the chain around his waist, but didn't take off the shackles. Joe turned, sat in the chair and picked up the phone. I just stared at him, not able to tear my eyes off the fading bruises on his cheek or the healing split lip.

"What happened to your face?" I asked in shock.

Joe pointed at the phone that I had neglected to pick up. I grabbed it off the wall and repeated my question.

"Just a little scuffle, Cupcake. Nothing to worry about." He sat there and shrugged nonchalantly. "I swear your boobs get bigger every time I see you." He grinned, obviously trying to distract me, but it wasn't working.

"What do you mean, 'nothing to worry about'? I thought this place was supposed to be safer for you, that they could protect you here?" I was getting myself worked up. Tears of anger and frustration welled up in my eyes, not at all how I wanted this visit to go.

"Stephanie, if I thought you were gonna go off the deep end over this, I woulda canceled this visit. You're as bad as my mother!" he snapped.

Okay, that was so not a good thing to say to me. I felt like I'd been slapped. "Fine," I said calmly. "Care to tell me how that happened?" Now I was just pissed and I blinked away the tears that had threatened to spill out.

"Look, I'm sorry I lost my temper." He blew out a deep breath and pressed the palm of his hand against the window. I put mine against the glass too. "Two guys got into a fight on the food line and I got caught in the middle. No biggie. You should see the other guys." He gave me a lopsided grin around his split lip. "And you're nothing like my mother. She can cook."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "I thought you were going to be separated from the general prison population for your safety? How come they aren't doing that?"

"I refused it. It's like being in solitary 24/7. No human contact, no one to talk to. I'd go nuts real fast." He leaned his elbows on the little counter.

"What about the guards? They talk to you, don't they?" I realized how stupid that was the minute the words came out of my mouth.

"Steph, as far as they're concerned I betrayed the oath. They have no use for a rogue cop." There was a sadness in his eyes that broke my heart. Of all the things Joe loved, he loved being a cop the most.

"I'm so sorry, Joe. I wish I could make it better." I'd tried to make it better and failed. Maybe I should have tried harder.

"I know. I may have to be here, but I don't have to live like that. You don't know what it's like, and I know this sounds harsh, but you need to back off and let me make the decisions about this. Okay?"

All I could do was nod, drop the subject, and chat on about mundane things. When our time was up, I kissed my fingers and pressed them against the glass. Joe did the same. 'Don't worry,' he mouthed to me as the guard cuffed his hands. Joe gave me a wink and shuffled back to his cell. I sat out in my car and cried for half an hour before I calmed down enough to drive myself home.

A couple of weeks later, Joe had a bandage on his arm and stitches in his forehead. He flatly refused to talk about how it had happened. The week after that, the warden canceled my visit. Joe was in solitary for the next two weeks. 'An incident' had happened in the exercise yard. The prison wouldn't give me any more information than that. His lawyer claimed attorney-client privilege and refused to say anything about it either. I was being stone-walled, and I didn't know why.

Three weeks later, our visits were reinstated. I was almost giddy, I was so excited to finally see Joe again. I really needed to see him with my own two eyes, to reassure myself that he was all right. I'd been working seven days a week, pulling in skips, trying to keep myself so busy that I didn't have time to worry. Well, that sure as hell didn't work … all I did was worry. At least Joe's bank account was nice and fat, so something good came out of it all.

It was the crack of friggin' dawn, well, five to eight … same thing in my book, and I was already running late when I pulled into the visitors' parking lot at the Corrections Center. It was cold and windy and raining cats and dogs, and after cruising up and down every aisle in the lot, I slid into the only empty space which, of course, was out in BFE. Figures, doesn't it? You'd think that with Ranger in Miami I could've at least inherited his Jersey parking Karma, but nooooooo, not a chance.

Last night I called Eddie Gazzara and asked him to come see Joe with me today. Every once in a while, one of the guys would come along to cheer Joe up and let him know he had their support. I was hoping that if Joe wouldn't tell me about what was going on here, the fights and stuff, maybe he'd tell Eddie about it. You know, like guy stuff.

I dashed through the rain and into the visitors' waiting room to find a grim faced Eddie standing there. My heart stopped when I saw him. Whatever made him look like that, I knew it couldn't be good.

"Eddie?" My voice cracked as my stomach rolled and my knees went weak.

"Come on, Steph. Warden Daniels wants to talk to us." Eddie slipped his arm around my waist and we were shown into the Warden's office.

My heart was trying to beat its way out of my chest and my pulse was pounding so loudly that I could barely hear what the warden was saying to me. I just couldn't seem to process the information.

Long story short, that morning Joe had been jumped in the showers by a couple of guys he'd put behind bars. He'd been 'shanked', stabbed with a makeshift weapon, apparently an act of traditional prison revenge. He'd been hit in the back a couple of times and was in surgery at Mercer County Medical Center. The warden couldn't tell us his condition.

Bells clanged in my head and those damned little black dots danced in front of my eyes. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. I tried to put my head down on my knees, but instead, I slid out of my chair, falling head long into the big black hole that opened up right in front of me.

TBC …

A/N: I apologize for the long wait between chapters. It took longer to get my life back than I thought it would. And then the Muse took off for parts unknown. But I promise to find a real posting schedule and stick to it. Thank you to all my readers for sticking with me and What I Did For Love.

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I tried to respond to everyone and I think I got back to all of you. Of course, if you aren't registered with , I have no way of responding to your reviews. Thanks so much for feeding my inner review slut.

Do you think Steph will ever find out if Ranger really visited her, or if it was only a dream after all? Do you think she's bitten off more than she can chew taking on high bond skips so she can pay for Joe's lawyer? How badly is Joe hurt? Do you think he'll make it? Do you think that Ellen Plum and Angie Morelli should have a throw down? LOL! Let me know what you think!

Stayce


	14. Love And Other Bruises!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Angst, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for everything, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_**"Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of withering, of tarnishing."  
**__**-- Anais Nin**_

**Chapter 14: Love and Other Bruises!**

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that the God-awful ammonia capsule that the prison medic used to bring me around from my dead faint turned out to be the high spot of my whole day. As soon as I was steady enough to walk, Eddie helped me out to his cruiser and we took off through the rain, lights flashing and siren screaming. Flying through the streets and skidding around corners was surreal, like something out of a movie. In this case, my own personal horror movie.

It felt like Mercer County Medical Center was at least a hundred miles away, and despite the speed, it seemed to take forever to get there. This was a replay of another frantic trip that I had taken to a hospital, and the fears were all the same. All I could think about was what we were going to find when we finally got there. How badly was he hurt? Would he be all right? Was he even alive? How could I live without him? The only difference was that this time it was Joe that I was so scared for. It wasn't until Eddie handed me his handkerchief that I even realized I was crying.

I sat forward in my seat, straining against the seatbelt, as if I could make the car go faster. I knew Eddie was worried about me. I don't usually keel over like that and I'm pretty sure I gave him a good scare. He kept asking me if I was okay, and shooting me sidelong glances as we sped along, blowing through red lights and whipping in and out of traffic. Finally, he reached over to take hold of my hand, to stop me from wringing them, I guess. Or maybe he was trying to keep me from twisting my fingers off.

"Stop blaming yourself, Steph," Eddie said softly. "This wasn't your fault."

How the hell did he know what I was thinking? "Oh, Eddie … If I had only …"

He squeezed my hand, hard. "Stop it! He'll be fine." Eddie cut me off, nodding as he said it. "Don't you worry. He'll be fine." I really had to wonder which one of us he was trying to convince.

We squealed into a reserved parking spot right in front of the ER entrance and I had my seatbelt off, the door open, and was halfway out of the car before we came to a full stop. Eddie reached over and snagged the back of my jacket, hauling me back into the car. "Whoa there, speedy. We gotta talk first."

"Jesus Christ, Eddie! Let go! I have to get in there! I have to find out …" Was he nuts? This was no time to sit and chat. I tried to pull out of his grip.

"Okay, Steph, okay," Eddie said softly, trying to calm me down, "we'll walk and talk." I hopped out of the car and was almost at the ER door when he caught up with me and took my arm. I dragged him along with me as I flew over to the bank of elevators and started pushing all the call buttons.

"Steph," Eddie pulled me back a step to keep me from mashing the buttons another dozen times. "Look Sweetheart, Joe's family was notified right away. They're probably all here in the waiting room already. You know that Angie's got 'em all fired up, and they're looking for somebody to blame. That somebody would be you."

"Yeah, yeah. What else is new?" I said offhandedly. I was too busy watching for an elevator to open to pay much attention to what he was saying.

He lowered his voice, "So you're not like … pregnant or anything, are you?"

Okay, that caught my attention and I spun around to look at him. "What? No. NO! Why would you think that?"

He looked instantly relieved and more than a little embarrassed. "Well, Shirley fainted at the drop of a hat when she was pregnant, and you passed out before and … well, I just didn't want you playing target for the Morellis if you were … you know … delicate."

I snorted at the 'delicate' and threw my arms around him, hugging him hard. "Thanks for worrying about me. I love ya, man!" Damn! There were those tears again.

Just like he had promised when Joe was arrested, Eddie was looking out for me. Along with everybody else in Trenton, I guess he'd heard all of those nasty things that Angie Morelli had been saying about me, all the vicious gossip and rumors she'd been spreading all over the place, telling anyone who'd listen how I was somehow responsible for Joe being charged with murder.

Hell! There wasn't anybody who _hadn't _heard. Even Joe knew that it was 'all my fault', and he wasn't exactly in the Burg gossip loop these days. At least Joe knew that it wasn't true. Eddie, too.

Eddie took me by the shoulders. "Okay then. Just remember that no matter what you do, Angie'll probably try to use it against you. If you _do_ go in there she'll say that you don't care that you're upsetting the family. If you _don't_ go, she'll say it's proof that you feel guilty about getting Joe into this mess. It's a no win situation Steph, and you don't have to go face them. But if you do, just keep your chin up and don't let 'em beat you down."

Eddie gave one hell of a pep talk. "There's no choice, Eddie. Joe's upstairs, so that's where I need to be. I'm not afraid of Angie Morelli." Much. I got on the elevator and hit the button for the surgical floor, acting a whole lot braver than I actually felt.

I cut my eyes to Eddie, "You're gonna stay with me, right?" I tried not to sound pathetic, even if I was.

Eddie grinned at me, "Cross my heart and hope to die." He patted the gun on his hip. "I'm even willing to shoot 'em for ya. I just don't have any silver bullets for Grandma Bella." He made a face and gave an exaggerated shudder. I couldn't help but smile.

Anyway, Eddie was right, every Morelli in the tri-state area had already gathered at the hospital and Angie Morelli was playing Queen Bee, holding court in the waiting room. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it, the place was packed with chattering family members, all hovering around Angie and all waiting for news about Joe.

The coward part of me wanted to slink away before anyone saw me, but the Wonder Woman part of me wanted to march in there and give Angie a hug and a kiss, tell her that Joe and I were planning a jailhouse wedding, and call her Mama. Oh come on! You know you wish I had the balls to do it!

And I admit it. I was pissed off! I mean, I thought these people were my friends and maybe even my future family. I'd sat next to them at Christmas dinners and at weddings and family christenings and birthday parties. Joe and I had gone to their kids' games, and to the movies, played cards and had gone to the beach with them. It galled me that since Angie had started blaming me for what was happening to her baby boy, not one of them would even speak to me.

Absolute silence fell over the whole bunch when Eddie and I walked into the waiting room, and everybody turned to stare at me like I had stabbed Joe myself. I could feel their anger rolling over me, and if Eddie hadn't had his arm around my waist, I would have turned and run for my life. So much for bravery.

Angie's eyes were like laser beams and I swear I could feel that red laser dot hit me right between my eyes. If looks could kill she would have been one happy woman. I sure was glad Eddie was with me, willing to buffer me from that crowd, but I really would have felt a whole lot better with Sally Sweet, and his Uzi, watching my back. I hadn't been this scared when I'd faced down the Slayers.

After that first glare, Angie totally ignored me, acting as if I didn't exist. Actually, that was just fine by me! The whole rest of the family looked uncomfortable, but not one of them would even make eye contact with me and they all steered clear of my little corner of the waiting room. It may have looked like family solidarity, but personally, I think they were all terrified of Angie. She collected dirt on everybody and would use it to make their lives hell if they crossed her. Everybody knew she ruled that family with an iron fist.

Bella, on the other hand, sat there staring holes into me. She didn't even blink, just fingered her rosary beads, lips moving. To anyone who didn't know her, she looked like some sweet little old lady, praying for her beloved grandson. But I knew better than to think she was saying Hail Marys.

Probably she was putting a curse on me that I'd have a never ending period or that my toenails would fall off and I'd never be able to wear sandals again. The whole family may have thought she was nuts, but I noticed that nobody took the chance of walking between us. Just in case she really was giving me the evil eye, I guess.

When the surgeon finally came in, the family mobbed the poor guy, but discretion being the better part of valor, I stayed right where I was. No way was I going to put myself in harm's way and actually get within arm's length of any of them. Nobody would hurt Eddie, though, they liked him. Plus, he had a gun. So he battled his way through the crowd to get the update, turning back to give me a thumbs up.

The doctor reported that Joe was out of surgery and would make a full recovery. Thank God! He'd be in Recovery for a while, and then would be brought down to the Prison Ward. The doctor couldn't tell us if we'd be allowed to see him, though. So we'd have to submit a request to whoever was in charge and wait for an answer. Eddie said he'd take care of that.

Angie and company trooped off to the Chapel to say the rosary, leaving Anthony behind in case there was more news about Joe's condition. Eddie went to check on the Prison Ward visitors' policy, telling me that he'd be back as fast as he could. Anthony watched him go, and as soon as Eddie was down the hall, he turned toward me.

"Hey, _Cupcake_," he sneered from the other side of the room, "when you movin' outta Joey's house, huh?"

I wasn't scared of him. A good swift kick in the nuts and I could take him. "Not gonna happen, Anthony. I live there."

"Ma wants me ta move in an' take carea the place for Joey while he's locked up. I get his SUV too." He gave me a smug smile.

I snorted. "What, your wife kick you out again?" Anthony just shrugged. "Look, Anthony, I don't care what _Ma_ wants. She doesn't have anything to say about it. I'm not going anyplace unless _Joey_ tells me to."

"Shit! You just got him pussy-whipped," Anthony yawned. "Wait'll Ma goes to work on him. She'll change his mind all right, and you'll be out on your ass." Anthony belched, scratched, and stretched out on the couch. By the time Eddie got back, he'd already started to snore. So much for brotherly love.

Eddie took the opportunity to drag me off to the hospital cafeteria to feed me. Everybody knows that hospital food is nasty, but did you ever notice that the food they sell in the cafeteria isn't any better than the stuff they serve the patients?

"Steph. Steph! _STEPH!" _I was so engrossed in putting more mayo, catsup, salt, pepper, mustard, relish and everything short of Splenda on my burger, trying to give it some flavor, that I never even heard Eddie talking to me.

"What? Oh, sorry Eddie. I'm a little distracted here." I took a bite of burger and all the condiments squished out all over my hands and splattered onto my lovely plastic tray.

Eddie shook his head and handed me about a dozen napkins. "You're worse than my kids!" he said with a snort.

I grinned back at him, "Well now, that's just insulting!" Everybody knew that Eddie's kids were the devil's spawn and had the manners of a pack of hyenas. I pretended I was going to wipe my hands on him.

"Uncle! Uncle!" he chuckled and held his hands up in front of him to ward me off. "I _said_ that I got called in to work an extra shift and that I was gonna have to leave soon."

He laughed when he saw the sheer panic that was written all over my face. "Eddie, you can't leave me here with them …"

"Don't worry, kid, I already called in reinforcements for you. They'll be here soon." He reached over to pat my hand, but stopped when he couldn't find a clean spot.

"Who's coming?" I asked, looking at the clock. It was already after 5pm and the Burg would be putting dinner on the table soon. Looked like I wouldn't be making it to my parents' house by six o'clock … again. I'd have to call my mother later on and explain.

"You'll see," he waggled his eyebrows and shoveled about half of his second piece of chocolate cream pie into his mouth.

The Morellis prayed faster than Eddie and I ate, and by the time we got back to the waiting room, Angie and Bella were back in their seats. The rest of the family must have left already because it was just the two of them and the still snoring Anthony, who obviously didn't have anyplace else to go. Eddie went over to say good-bye to them, but when he turned his back, they both gave me looks that said they were gonna eat me alive as soon as he was gone. I shivered involuntarily and grabbed onto the front of Eddie's shirt when he bent to kiss my cheek.

"Take me with you," I begged frantically. "You don't know what these women are capable of!"

Eddie patted my shoulder. "Now Steph, take it easy. I warned them to behave, that you might be a member of the family before too long."

I know my eyes bugged out of my head. "Are you nuts? Bella's gonna put a curse on me and my eyebrows will probably fall out!"

Eddie snickered. "If it's any consolation, when Angie said, 'Over my dead body!' I told her that you could probably arrange that." Eddie grinned. He was having way too much fun with this whole thing.

"You _are_ trying to get me cursed, aren't you?" I wailed. "You told her that I threatened her?" I dropped my head into my hands and groaned. Oh God! All the stuff Angie had said about me had just been mild entertainment for her. She was going to come after me with a vengeance now! Nobody stood up to Angie Morelli and lived to tell about it.

Angie was more than Joe's mother … she was a Burg icon. She'd been put on a pedestal and hailed as a paragon of Burg virtues, a shining example of Burg womanhood, the perfect Burg housewife and mother. She _was_ the Burg! She was a cross between Hints From Heloise, Miss Manners and Martha Stewart. Saint Angie of the Perfect Pot Roast could do no wrong. Even those little statues of the Virgin Mary that people in the Burg had in their yards bore a striking resemblance to Angie these days.

But piss her off and, oh boy, Angie would morph into The Terminator, a nickname she came by honestly. She could smile like an angel while she used the Burg gossip mill to annihilate anybody who crossed her. She'd take down you, your reputation, your family, your career, your marriage, your dog, even ... no one was safe from her venom. She was proud of the fact that she'd forced more than one family to pack up and move out of the Burg. Everybody tip-toed around her, including my own mother and grandmother.

"Aha!" Eddie glanced at the doorway. "Your backup's here," he whispered. "This is gonna be good! Wish I could stick around and watch."

I followed Eddie's glance and caught myself before I could yelp. Oh Jeez! Standing in the doorway, smiling sweetly, were my mother and Grandma Mazur. Eddie kissed them both, threw me a wink, and walked out, softly whistling the 'Doodle-oodle-ewwww, doo-dooo-doooo!' theme to _The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly_. God help us all if this was Eddie's idea of back up!

I don't know what Eddie thought was gonna happen; Mom and Grandma were just fresh meat, lambs to the slaughter, more targets for Angie to take pot shots at. Angie and Bella stood up and waited for my mother and grandmother to stop and speak to them, to sympathize, and offer prayers. Instead, all they got was a curt nod as Mom and Grandma sailed past and came over to sit on either side of me. Mom held one of my hands, Grandma the other. There was no mistaking the support they were showing me, or the insult to Angie and Bella.

I looked from Mom to Grandma and back again, trying to figure out what was going on. They just smiled and Grandma patted my knee. It was clear that the Morelli women were shocked, no one ever dared to treat them that way. Bella's lips were moving again and Angie just looked stunned, but my mother just kept right on smiling. I had to wonder if she'd been tippling again.

Other than Anthony's snores and my own hammering heart, we sat in silence. The minutes dragging by while we waited to find out if we'd be allowed to see Joe. I glanced at the clock again, it was quarter to six. Then the time finally sank in and I turned to my Mom. "Where's Daddy? Is he eating at the Lodge tonight?" I whispered.

"No, Dear. He's home," she said calmly.

"Oh my God! What's Dad gonna do for dinner?" I had visions of my father sitting at the head of the table with his napkin tucked under his chin, and his knife and fork in his hands, waiting for the food to appear. I had to wonder if he'd even realize that there was nobody else home.

"Don't worry, Dear," she patted my hand. "He'll just have to fend for himself for a change."

I'm sure my eyes bugged out of my head as I stared at this person sitting next to me. She wasn't panic stricken at not getting dinner on the table at 6pm sharp! Who was this woman and what had she done with my mother? I was sure that tomorrow's newspaper would be reporting that Hell had frozen over and pigs, worldwide, were flying.

Silence descended again, and we all just sat there, waiting.

"Why don't you just leave now, Stephanie," Angie said out of nowhere, her voice flat and cold. "Take pity on your poor mother and get out of here."

I jumped at the sound of her voice. "_Excuse me?_" I could feel my hackles rise. "_Pity_?"

My mother patted my hand, "Let me handle this, dear," she said softly. Turning to Angie, Mom still wore that sweet smile. "Is there a problem, Angie?"

"Oh Ellen, dear!" Angie said earnestly. "I was just trying to save you the embarrassment of sitting here in public with … her. After all, everyone knows what a trial she is for you." The milk of human kindness just flowed through that woman's veins, didn't it?

"That is _so_ thoughtful of you," my mother replied, her voice dripping with gratitude. "You know, you're such an inspiration." We watched Angie preen. "You've had so much more experience at being humiliated by your children than I have. But really, if you can sit here in public with _your_ embarrassments," my mother looked pointedly at Anthony, snoring and drooling on the couch, "I'm sure I can find the strength to do the same." Mom just fluttered her eyelashes and looked innocent.

Go Mom! Angie narrowed her eyes and studied my mother, looking for some indication that Mom was mocking her. I guess she decided that no one would dare do such a thing, and just looked miffed that her barb had missed the target. She took aim again.

"Well," Angie spread her hands and shrugged, "you must know what everyone thinks about her. She's irresponsible and headstrong! Instead of becoming a wife and mother she goes off and becomes a bounty hunter, associating with the dregs of society, rolling in garbage!" She tsk-tsked. "She just flaunted her family tradition like it wasn't good enough for her." Angie shook her head sadly. "That must be such a stab to your heart, Ellen."

I turned to look at my mother who still had a smile plastered on her face; only now it looked kinda like those wax lips you get at the novelty store. "You know, I never thought of it that way, Angie, but you're absolutely right," my mother said mildly. "She's just like Joseph. He ignored all of _your_ family traditions, too," Mom's voice was getting sharp. "He finished school, went into the Navy, graduated from the Police Academy, has a successful career. He's not a cheater, an abuser, or an alcoholic." Oh, there was a definite edge there. "What a disappointment he must be for you." Mom finished with a bang, all pretense of friendship and goodwill gone.

Angie sucked in a breath, blood in her eye. "That disgrace of a daughter of yours is responsible for my Joseph being arrested on that ridiculous murder charge. She's ruined his life! He never was in any trouble at all until he met her!" Angie crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in her chair. Bella nodded like one of those dashboard bobble-head dolls.

"His troubles started early then, didn't they?" My mother turned to me. "Joseph was what … eight … when he lured you into his garage? And he already had a reputation." I didn't answer, just sort of gulped. We were entering dangerous territory here.

Angie flushed and decided to change her target. "You must be so ashamed of how you've failed her, Ellen. You've allowed her to run wild and do what she wants with no thought to appearances. Just look at the results. No wonder you drink!"

Uh-oh, low blow! This was going to get down and dirty now. I turned to look at Grandma Mazur for help, but she was riveted on Bella.

My mother's eyes narrowed to slits and her smile tightened. "Yes, it just breaks my heart when I think of how intelligent and courageous and loyal and _independent _my daughter is." I looked around to see who my mother was talking about. Me? Mom meant ME? Awwwwwwww. "Obviously I've failed her completely. Unlike _you_ who's children are so … well … not."

Angie shot up out of her seat. "My children are my pride and joy!"

"And how sad is that?" My mother said, her turn to be sympathetic. I heard Grandma snort and I think I swallowed my tongue.

Luckily for all of us, a nurse came in at that point. "Miss Plum?" she asked, looking around at our happy little group.

I hopped up and almost ran over to her. "Miss Plum, your request to see prisoner Morelli has been denied. However, I can tell you that he's out of recovery and is in the prison ward. His condition has been upgraded to 'good'. He'll be here for several days and then returned to the Correctional Center. You can call here for his medical status or MCC for further information on his return to the prison." She'd spoken loud enough that Angie and Bella had heard so I didn't have to relay the information to them.

I thanked her and went back over to Mom and Grandma and grabbed my stuff. It was time to get the hell out of Dodge before the claws really came out and blood was drawn. This had been a long, scary day and I was more than ready to go home and crawl into bed, pull the covers over my head, and sleep for a week.

On the other side of the room, Angie and Bella were getting ready to leave too. "This isn't over, Ellen," Angie announced.

I recognized the look on my mother's face; I had put it there often enough. Angie had gotten on Mom's very last nerve. My mother blew out a breath and spun to face her. "Yes," Mom declared, "it _is_ over. Two can play at this game, you know. If you say one more malicious word about my daughter, if I hear of you spreading those vile rumors around town again, I swear to God that I will knock you off your high horse. I'll make sure that the tables are turned and _you_ become 'Poor Angie', the object of ridicule and pity. We'll see how _you_ like it!" The threat in Mom's voice came across loud and clear.

I stared at my mother in amazement. When had she grown a spine? Where had she locked up this part of her personality? Could my shy, quiet, 'what will the neighbors think' mom have a little Wonder Woman in her too?

"And just what do you think you could possibly say about MY family?" Angie demanded imperiously.

My mother stalked over to Angie and looked her square in the eye, lowered her voice and whispered something. Whatever that something was, Angie went pale and stumbled back a step or two. "You … you wouldn't!" She clutched at her heart as she stared at my mother in shock.

"Try me!" were my mother's last words to her. Heads held high, Mom, Grandma Mazur, and I strolled out of the waiting room, leaving Angie and Bella behind us. We had just cleared the doorway when Grandma pulled something out of her purse and spun around to face them. Bella let out a shriek and collapsed into a chair, Angie at her side. Grandma grabbed our arms and hustled us into the elevator.

"What was that all about?" I wanted to know.

Grandma looked at me smugly. "Your mother made me promise that I wouldn't say nothin' to those two, but I knew that ugly old bat would try to pull something sneaky, so I came prepared," Grandma patted the side of her purse. "I know her tricks! Bella tried to put a curse on you when we was leaving," Grandma reached into her bag and pulled out an old fashioned hand mirror. "So I held up the mirror and shot it right back at her," Grandma said proudly. "Worked too, you heard her scream!" Grandma kissed the mirror and shoved it back in her purse.

Mom and I both looked at Grandma's purse. "Mother," I could hear the strained calmness in my mom's voice, "since you came prepared, what else do you have in your handbag?"

"Well, let's see." Grandma fished around in her bag. "Got Betsey," she pulled out her long barrel Colt .45 revolver and waved it around. I was relieved we were the only ones on the elevator. I snagged Betsey and shoved it into my purse. At least I was licensed to carry concealed.

But Grandma was on a roll, "And I got me some cuffs," she held up a pair covered in purple fur just as the elevator doors opened in the crowded hospital lobby. "And I have a little bottle of this K-Y stuff and a thingy of Mace and these great flavored condoms!" She turned to me, shoving them into my hands, "you really gotta try these, they ain't bad. Taste kinda like Jello."

Grandma was starting to collect an audience, standing right in front of the elevator doors like that. Mom grabbed one elbow and I grabbed the other and we hustled Grandma out into the parking lot. "Oh, and that nice salesgirl at Pleasure Treasures gave me a free sample of this here male enhancement stuff when I bought these." Grandma held up a package of edible crotchless panties. "And I got a couple of them little bottles of booze like you get on planes and …"

Grandma droned on and Mom eyed the little booze bottles wistfully. Actually, I did too. We looked at the bottles, looked at each other and both of us grabbed one, twisted off the little cap, raised them in salute, and downed the contents. Just what the doctor ordered!

Oh, and what did Mom threaten Angie with? Since _appearances_ were _so_ important to Angie, Mom pointed out that it _appeared_ that Carol Rizzo's son, Zook, was a carbon copy of Joe at the same age. Considering Joe's reputation with women fifteen or so years ago, Mom thought that would be a fun topic for the gossip mill. Angie? Not so much. So we all steered clear of each other. Angie stopped talking, and Mom didn't start. It wasn't quite peaceful co-existence, more like armed neutrality, but whatever, it worked.

Over the next few weeks, life returned to normal… well, as normal as it ever got for me. Joe recovered pretty quickly and I got to see him every Tuesday morning. The Warden at the MCC had decided, after the stabbing, that it was too dangerous for Joe to mix with the general prison population anymore, so he was being held in a restricted area for his own protection. Joe was beyond pissed and I had to listen to him complain long and loud about being in solitary. I just nodded and made sympathetic noises. He didn't need to know how relieved I was now that he was so much safer.

Ranger was still in Miami, I guessed; didn't know, didn't care. Just so I didn't have to worry about running into him all over the place. Funny thing though, whenever we had bumped into one another at the bonds office, I'd always looked like something Bob had hoarked up, covered with slime and stinky old food and God only knew what else. Now that Ranger wasn't around to see me, I never rolled in garbage or got hosed down or hurt anymore. I was almost always neat and clean, hair looking good, makeup in place.

Anyway, my capture rate had always been pretty good; just now, thanks to all the training I'd gotten working for RangeMan, it was pretty speedy too, meaning that Vinnie was one happy camper. Happy Vinnie was just plain creepy, but it was better than having to listen to him bitch and moan about all the money he was losing because I ran Ranger off.

Vinnie figured Ranger had left town because he wanted kinky sex and I wouldn't put out for him. I guess that was kinda true, the 'not putting out for him' part, not the kinky part. For weeks, Vinnie, the pervert, had badgered me over what kind of kinky sex Ranger had wanted. It wasn't until I told him that if he didn't cut it out, I'd be accepting a job offer from Les Sebring, Vinnie's major bail bonds competitor. Vinnie snapped his trap shut so fast he probably cracked his teeth. He's been quiet ever since. Hey, whatever works.

Joe's mounting legal bills were another great motivator for me to bring in as many skips as I could. They were humongous! Probably at some point Joe'd have to sell his house to pay off his legal fees, but that would only be if all else failed, at least if I had anything to say about it. I was working my ass off bringing in skips, some that probably should have gone to RangeMan. But they were high bond and I needed that money. Plus, I'd been pretty careful and hadn't taken on any of the real nut jobs. I'd been able to keep up with the lawyer's payment schedule, pay all the regular bills, and there was still a little money left in the bank. I was pretty proud of myself.

Anyhow, bright and early one Monday morning I strolled into the bonds office, coffees and a box of donuts in hand. Lula and Connie were glued to a file lying on the desk, so engrossed in whatever they were reading that they never even heard the little bell on the door ring. I walked all the way over to Connie's desk, put the donuts and coffee down, and stood there. And they _still_ didn't notice me.

Curious to see what had them so mesmerized, I edged over behind them and craned my neck to take a peek. "What are you guys looking at?" I asked and put my hands on their shoulders.

Connie and Lula both shrieked and jumped up, almost knocking me over. "You scared the shit outta me," Connie hollered breathlessly, her hands pressed over her heart… okay, her boobs. Lula went pale, slid down the wall, and crumpled into a heap on the floor.

"What the hell were you two reading? You guys almost jumped outta your skins!" I helped Connie haul Lula up off the floor and over to the couch. The fact that she hadn't said anything and was breathing kind of funny didn't strike me as a good thing. Connie fanned Lula with one of the files from the desk and I got her a chocolate covered donut with sprinkles. I don't know which one brought her around faster.

"So who's gonna tell me what that was all about?" I looked from one to the other of them.

"Ch … checking skips …" Lula stuttered.

"Research," Connie said at the same time.

"Um … Really, we were just checking out a skip, that's all," Connie said, pointing to a stack of files. "You know, looking at history and stuff, getting a head start." She flashed me a nervous smile, but her eyes were still wide and there were little beads of sweat on her forehead.

"Uh-huh." Now, I'm not naturally suspicious, but something was definitely up.

I leaned my butt against Connie's desk and folded my arms over my chest. "You guys are lousy liars, you know that? Are you gonna tell me what's really going on? Or do I take my coffee and donuts and leave?"

Lula and Connie exchanged a look. Connie picked up a pencil and used it to slide a file across the desk to me. "Just read that," she acted like the thing was going to burst into flame. Lula slunk down on the couch and crossed herself.

I rolled my eyes, flipped open the file and started to read the history. Ferdie Gooberman, twenty-two years old, brown hair, brown eyes, 6'4" tall, weight 156 pounds. Wow! Talk about a skin and bones. Ferdie's picture showed a geeky, round shouldered, mouth breather nerd with thick Coke bottle glasses, kinky carrot red hair, big ears, and buck teeth. Just looking at his picture you knew that he was the guy all the jocks picked on in school, the kid whose head got shoved in the toilet, who got pushed into lockers, and stuffed into trash cans. I really had to feel sorry for him.

I looked from Connie to Lula. "What, this little twerp freaked you out?"

"Keep reading," was all Connie said. Lula just nodded, licking chocolate icing off her fingers.

Okay, so Ferdie lived at home with his mother, and used to work at the One Hour Photo in the CVS Pharmacy, the perfect career choice for the guy who was President of the Audio/Visual Club in high school. He didn't have much of a rap sheet. The file said that last year, Vinnie had bailed him out on a couple of counts of Theft of Services lodged by a dentist, an ophthalmologist, and a plastic surgeon. The charges were dropped when mommy paid the freight, so he hadn't even been FTA.

I looked up at Connie and Lula who were watching me read. "Am I missing something here?"

"Keep going," Lula nodded.

I turned the page for Ferdie's current information and all but dropped the file when I got a load of Ferdie's latest picture. "Holy shit!"

"See? See?" Lula squealed, pointing at me. "It ain't just us! He creeps her out, too!"

"Ferdie went from geek to freak!" I muttered as I looked at the picture again. Ferdie's now shoulder length, pitch black hair came to perfect point on his forehead, his brown eyes were a milky blue and the pupils were vertical slits, kinda like those goats at the petting zoo. He wore white makeup and had black rimmed eyes, his lips were pulled back in a snarl over teeth that were sharpened to fangs, and I thought that the baby horns implanted in his forehead were especially attractive.

Even in a mug shot, Ferdie made me shiver. "What's he supposed to be? A devil? A vampire?"

"Yeah! Did you see what he legally changed his name to?" Connie came over to stand next to me and looked at the file. "Here it is," she pointed it out with a long red fingernail. "Damien De Vil. That's devil to us mortals."

"Oh Jeez. He must think every day is Halloween. What'd he do this time? Rob a blood bank?" I snickered at my own joke… at least until I noticed that Connie and Lula weren't laughing. "Oh gimme a break! You're kidding, right?" I looked back and forth at them. They were dead serious … no pun intended.

I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess," I said to Lula. "He's low bond. That would make him your FTA and you don't want to go pick him up, do you?"

Lula was still so pale that her skin tone almost matched today's honey blonde hair. "Yeah, well, see, here's the thing … I'm a … thinking of going back to filin' full time. I'm thinking that this bounty hunting stuff ain't for me. What with all that drivin' and the price of gas and goin' down to the police station all the time. You know cops give me the runs and everything. So … he's all yours now!" She smiled and held out her hands like she was giving me something.

"Nice try, Tallulah, he's your skip. If he _is _a real vampire, he'll be asleep during the daytime; we'll take him by surprise!" I smiled right back at her.

"Un-unh! There ain't no 'we' about it. I ain't going, no how, no way!" Lula announced around a mouthful of her third donut. "I bet he sleeps in a coffin. In his basement. On dirt from the old country." She was waving her arms around, strewing donut sprinkles all over the place.

"Lula," I held out the file, "he was born in Mercerville. This _is _the old country.

"Why even bother? He's just gonna turn into a bat or a puff of smoke and, poof, vanish! And then he'll just materialize in our bedrooms at night and suck our blood. Ain't you never seen any of those old movies?"

The last time somebody materialized in my bedroom, it wasn't my blood he wanted to suck. That memory made me shiver, but for an entirely different reason.

"Oh, come on, Lula. You know there are no such things as vampires or ghosts or werewolves."

"You left out mummies," Connie muttered from her desk. I shot her a look and she shut up.

"Maybe there isn't, but the devil is real! If you believe in God, you gotta believe in the devil!" Lula planted her fists on her hips and gave me a 'So there!' look.

Well, she had me there. My own personal devil was living in Miami. I blew out a sigh.

"Look, think about it. He still lives at home with his mother. What kind of mama's boy becomes a vampire? He's probably sitting at the kitchen table right now and she's feeding him pancakes. Let's at least go check it out." Stephanie Plum … voice of reason!

I looked at Lula, Lula looked at Connie, Connie looked at me. "Okay," Lula said slowly. "But if he's sleepin' in the basement, you're on your own! And you drive! I don't want no vampire cooties in my car!"

We walked out the door with Lula muttering about going to a church for a gallon of holy water and checking to see if Sunny's Gun Shop carried silver bullets. I snorted at the look she gave me when I offered to stop at the lumber yard for wooden stakes.

"Don't forget the garlic," Connie yelled after us.

We had to pass the alley on the way to the car. My instincts kicked in a split second to late to avoid the arm that shot out and wrapped around my waist, pulling me back into the shadows. My purse and files went flying as I swung my elbow back as hard as I could, trying to catch my assailant in the ribs. A sharp hiss told me I'd hit my target. Grabbing my wrists, he spun me around, pinning me to the wall with his weight. Guess who was back in town?

He turned to a shocked Lula. "You'll excuse us, won't you, Lula?" giving her his full on, 200 watt smile. Wide eyed, she smiled back and bobbled her head, then fled back into the office, to report to Connie, no doubt.

He still had my hands pinned over my head and I tugged at them, to no avail. "Let me go, Ranger," I said with as much calm as I could muster.

He gave me his wolf grin. "You act like I surprised you," and he pressed his lips against mine.

I twisted my head away from him. "How did you think I'd react, grabbing me like that and dragging me in here?" I hoped I sounded outraged.

He pulled back a little and studied my face in the dim light. I don't know what he was looking for, but he let me go and stepped away from me. "You didn't expect me at all, did you?"

I bent to pick up my bag and files that were spread all over the alley. "No! Why would I?" I snarked. Jeez! Did he think I spent all my time just waiting for him to come back to Trenton? Talk about ego!

"Stephanie, when was the last time you talked to Morelli?" There was something in his voice that made me straighten up and look at him.

"Last Tuesday. Why?"

The silence hung between us like a cloud and I just stared at him, waiting for him to answer me. For the longest time he stood there with his hands on his hips, his head down. When he raised his head, something a lot like anger flashed across his face, then disappeared. He blew out a deep breath and finally looked at me.

"Morelli called me. He accepted the deal."

_TBC …_

_A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to post. I've finally gotten my life back and have all the time in the world to write, and my Muse has 'Poof' vanished. Personally, I think she's on some beautiful Pacific island like Bora Bora, teaching all those handsome island boys a few tricks. In any event, I hope she's having a good time because I'm not!_

_So, what do you think of Ellen standing up to Angie? Were you surprised? I was. Who knew? And what do you think of Joe accepting Ranger's deal? Does that make him a monster or just desperate? What will Steph do? Will she forgive Joe? Will she forgive Ranger? Please let me know what you think should happen._

_Stayce_


	15. All Out Of Love!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for everything, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER HAS NOT BEEN EDITED DUE TO THE ILLNESS OF MY FANTABULOUS EDITOR, KASHY. ANY ERRORS ARE MINE, ALL MINE!**_

_**GET WELL SOON, BABECAKE!**_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_**Don't let someone become your everything, because when they're gone, you have nothing!**_

_**Anonymous**_

"Morelli called me. He accepted the deal."

Chapter 15: All Out Of Love!

For the longest time after I'd first met him, I was convinced that Ranger had some kind of super-duper ESP. It was downright spooky how he always seemed to know exactly what I was thinking or feeling. It took me a while, but I finally realized that he wasn't reading my mind, he was reading my face; everything I thought or felt was pretty much written all over it.

Standing out there in the alley that day, I made sure he had no problem reading every one of my emotions, especially since they were all directed at him. Wave after wave of shock, confusion, disbelief, suspicion, and absolute fury broke over me, and I didn't even try to camouflage any of it.

The pain in my chest was so bad that it hurt to breathe and when I finally could take a breath, I lashed out at him. "I don't believe it." I spat the words at him, so mad I was shaking. "You're a liar!"

"Stephanie," Ranger said, taking a step toward me, "I've never lied to you and I wouldn't start now. I've always told you the truth."

I barked a laugh. "You mean the truth according to Carlos Manoso," I sneered, the sarcasm practically dripping off my words. "Do you really think I don't know that you've never told me the whole truth about anything?" My voice raised an octave. "You think I don't realize that you spoon feed me select little bits and pieces of shit that I'm supposed to swallow and say 'Thank you'?" And it went up another notch.

"You think you've got me _trained_! You throw me little bones to pacify me, just enough so that I'll be a good little girl and not ask questions." I picked up my bag, shoved the files into it and slung it over my shoulder, closer to tears than I wanted him to see. "You've done that to me since we met, and I let you get away with it. I guess I thought that anything was better than nothing at all. So, my bad. But no more!" I turned and stalked toward the mouth of the alley.

"Stephanie," he followed me, all controlled and rational which pissed me off even more. "Let's go someplace where we can sit down and talk …"

"_**Talk**_?" I almost screamed as I spun around to face him. "Did you not hear what I just said? Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Let me rephrase that for ya … **I don't want to talk to you**!" I raged. "There isn't anything you can say that I want to hear … or believe! Got it now?" I turned on my heel and stormed out of the alley.

As I turned around, I saw Lula and Connie peek around the corner of the building. Lucy and Ethel were spying on Ranger and me in the alley. I guess the thought that something juicy was going on right outside their door was too much temptation for them to bear. They couldn't wait to get hold of me and grill me about what was going on, so they decided to take matters into their own hands and find out for themselves. They took one look at me though, and I saw their expressions go from a giddy, 'Oh Boy!' to a stunned, 'Oh Shit!' in two seconds flat.

By the time I stalked out of the alley, the girls had ducked back around to the front of the building, and were waiting for me. They linked their arms through mine and hustled me toward the office door.

"You yelled at _Ranger_?" Connie squeaked and looked behind us, I guess to see if Ranger was in hot pursuit. "Are you nuts?" She threw the office door open and tried to push me in, but I wouldn't go. I wasn't about to give Ranger another opportunity to trap me, so I needed to stay out in the open … where I had a better chance of escaping.

"Yeah, Con. Something like that." At that point, I was pretty sure I had gone nuts! I couldn't believe my own ears, wouldn't believe what Ranger had said. My head was spinning with it all.

I turned to Lula. "Look, can we go after your skip tomorrow? Maybe after I go see Joe, okay?" I rubbed my temple and twitching eye.

"Yeah, sure, no problem." She narrowed her eyes and squinted at me. "Damn, Girl! You don't look so good. Maybe you should come in and sit down … and tell us what's goin' on between you and Batman!" Connie shot Lula a death glare. Lula just shrugged and rolled her eyes.

Connie put a hand on my arm. "Yeah, you are pretty pale. Are you okay?" her curiosity replaced by concern.

"No. Yeah. No. I … I don't know what I am," I sighed and shook my head, only making myself dizzier.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ranger step out of the alley. My stomach flip-flopped and panic started to set in. I looked around to see where his vehicle was, but he didn't have it parked out on the street. I figured it must have been in the small lot behind the bonds office and the proverbial light bulb went on over my head. "Con, I need a favor," I said under my breath and slid my eyes toward Ranger.

"Name it." She caught on right away and squeezed my hand.

"See if you can block him into the parking lot? I really don't want to have to deal with him anymore." I pleaded with her.

Connie's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. "Ohhhhhh My God! He'll kill me!" she groaned and slapped a hand on her cheek. "But if he doesn't," she poked me with a long, blood red fingernail, "tomorrow I get the whole story, _all_ the details! And I do mean ALL!" She blew out a deep breath and went back into the office. I watched while she grabbed her keys off her desk, crossed herself, and hot footed it toward the back door.

"Look, I gotta go," I said to Lula. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I needed to get the hell away from Ranger as fast as I could.

"You want me to walk you to your car? We could sashay right past that man and I could distract him. I do look especially fine today, don't ya think? And he ain't never seen me as a blonde." She fluffed her hair and struck a sexy pose. I had to smile. No doubt about it, with her blonde hair and neon orange spandex, Lula was one hell of a distraction!

Damn, I had wonderful girlfriends. "No, but thanks. No sense in all three of us being on his shit list." I shrugged and turned to head down the block.

Lula snorted. "Honey, you're on his list all right, but it sure ain't his shit list! I saw him plastered up against you in the alley," and she waggled her eyebrows at me. "You need anything, call! Day or night, you hear?" I could only nod. "Hey," she yelled after me as I walked away. "We don't have to go after Damien at all, ya know. I'm all for lettin' sleeping vampires lie!"

I didn't turn around, just waved over my shoulder at her.

Ranger lounged against the side of the building, half way between me and my car, looking all relaxed and sexy. He twirled those damned mirrored sunglasses of his in his hand and I could feel his eyes boring into me. He was a man used to getting his way, but not today. If I could only get past him, and my little parking lot plan worked, maybe I could get away clean. I'd had just about all I could take of Mr. Manoso for one day.

I was determined to show Ranger that I could be as calm and reasonable as he was, so I pretended that he wasn't even there, just squared my shoulders, held my head up high, and thought about how good I'd feel if I just had the guts to pull out my gun and shoot him in the foot. Can you imagine how shocked he'd be? That actually almost brought a smile to my face … almost.

But the man just couldn't take no for an answer, damn him, and as I passed by, he reached out to take my arm. I sidestepped neatly and managed to avoid him, but he growled my name and all my composure pretty much evaporated into thin air. I practically ran to the car, hopped in, and took off, instinctively swerving to miss him when he stepped off the curb right in front of me.

The cocky son of a bitch must have forgotten the little 'kiss' I'd given Joe with my Dad's Buick when he'd pissed me off all those years ago. Good thing for Ranger I didn't have time to think about it, or I might have considered 'kissing' him the same way!

I squealed away from the curb and hauled ass down Hamilton, ignoring the blaring horns and curses of the drivers I'd cut off. I looked in the mirror and caught a glimpse of Ranger standing in the street, hands on hips, watching me go, clearly not happy. He had no idea how lucky he was. I didn't shoot him and I didn't run him over. I missed two golden opportunities, dammit, and _he's_ pissed off? Yeesh!

Now, if you're thinking that I was worried or upset because Ranger was angry, you're wrong. _I _was the one who was mad and I had every right to be! What did he think was going to happen when he told me that Joe had called him? That I'd be happy about it? That I'd take his word for it? That I'd rip my clothes off and throw myself into his arms panting, 'Take me, take me'? Oh, please!

And I _told_ him that I didn't want to talk to him. Did he listen? Oh hell, no! So it's all his fault and he could be as mad as he wanted, as long as he went away and left me alone. I mean, probably he wanted to talk to me about The Deal, right? But I didn't even know if there really was a Deal yet, so how could he expect me to deal with it?

Joe and I had talked about it a couple of times, and he had sworn, up, down, and sideways that he'd never trade my freedom for his own. That's what it would have been, too. Joe would be able to walk away and I'd be the one serving the sentence, probably as Ranger's sex slave or something. At least that's what Joe thought. Men!

Now, just between us girls, being a sex slave to Ranger wouldn't exactly be a hardship. But _wanting_ to be one, and _having_ to be one, were two totally different things, ya know? I'd like to think that I had free will, but one flash of that killer smile of Ranger's and bye-bye panties. Crap! I didn't want to even think about this stuff until after I'd talked to Joe, but here I was, getting myself all worked up over it. And not in a good way, either!

I just needed to get away from Ranger. Much as I hated to admit it, even to myself, Ranger's presence anywhere within a ten mile radius always seemed to impair my ability to think rationally ... God knows I proved that every time I let him drag me into the alley. And there he was today, dragging me into that alley … all black cashmere and leather and hard body and hot mouth. It was like his personal force field short circuited my brain functions and made all those little synapses misfire into sensual overload. The man just scrambled my brains!

Anyway, I decided to go home and grab Bob. I thought maybe a good brisk walk around the park would work off my mad and do us both some good. Plus, Ranger would never think to look for me there. Stephanie exercising? Nah! When my phone rang I rooted around in my purse and pulled it out.

"Sorry, Steph. I was only able to hold him up for a minute or two," Connie said apologetically.

"Thanks, Con. I think I have a good enough head start that I can avoid him." I checked my mirrors again to make sure he hadn't snuck up behind me. "I'm in the clear, so far."

"Well good. But maybe you should keep an eye out for him. He's looking for you and he's not happy."

"You know what? Tough titties! I'm not happy either!" He had one hell of a nerve being angry with me!

"Just so you know, he's driving that big sexy devil truck of his." I heard the other line ring. "Gotta go! Good luck!"

Connie meant his black on black Dodge Ram stealth truck with the tinted glass, and the lift, and oversized tires, and every other option known to mankind. I swear he could push a button and engage an invisibility shield on it. Or not. I looked in the rear view mirror and there he was, almost a block behind me. Shit!

My phone rang again and I grabbed it. Guess who? "Stephanie, we hav…" I snapped my phone shut. Take that, Ranger!

The next time it rang, I just let it go to voice mail. I did the same thing when it rang the third and fourth time too. Probably I should have just turned it off, but why should I have to do that? Who the hell was Ranger that everybody had to jump and do what he wanted when _he_ wanted it, huh? By the fifth time the phone rang I was ready to scream, so I answered it and did. Scream, that is.

"What?" I shrieked and hoped I ruptured his eardrum.

"Pull over," he ordered.

"Go to hell!" and I hung up on him again. He's not the boss of me!

Ranger was three cars behind me and got caught at the red light when I sailed through the yellow. I should have just taken off for Mary Lou's or the mall, but when my phone rang again, it pushed me right over the edge. I hacked a U-ie in the intersection and swung back toward his truck, so mad I was practically frothing at the mouth, and stopped right in the middle of Hamilton Avenue. He just sat and watched me when I got out of the car, blocking all the traffic behind me.

"You wanna talk?" I yelled at him. "Talk to yourself!" and fired my still ringing cell phone at his smug face.

Of course, he was still sitting in his truck. To his credit, he didn't even flinch as the phone hit the windshield with a sharp crack and practically disintegrated. We both watched from either side of the glass as long cracks radiated out from the great big ding the phone made in the windshield. Holy shit! I dinged the devil truck! He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. Son of a bitch! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I just stomped back to the car and blew him a snotty kiss as I drove past him.

Okay, so now that I'd _really _pissed Ranger off, maybe being alone in the park wasn't such a hot idea. What I needed was to be surrounded by people who'd protect me from Ranger. Who better to protect and serve than cops? Pino's here I come! I hadn't even gotten two blocks and when I looked in the rear view, and there he was, about an inch off my back bumper. I was tempted to jam on the brakes but I was afraid he'd roll right over me so I shot him the finger instead. He wanted to follow me? Fine! We could play Follow the Leader!

And follow me he did as I took a nice, leisurely drive around the Burg, up one street and down the next, cruised through some of the alleys, took a tour of St. Francis Hospital's parking lot, went to the Dunkin' Donuts drive thru, and circled the park … twice. When it got to the point where I had to pee so badly my eyeballs were floating, I pulled into Pino's and sprinted inside to the ladies' room.

When I came out of the bathroom, I made a bee-line for the table where Carl, Big Dog, and Eddie were shoveling in calzones and stromboli.

"Hi guys!" I chirped, pulling up a chair and plunking down next to Eddie just as Carl and Big Dog got up to leave. "Was it something I said?"

Carl grinned and kissed my cheek, and Big Dog tugged on my pony tail, promising that they'd bring the beer and pizza when they came over to watch the game that night. My little set to with Ranger had made me forget all about our game plans. I reminded myself to stop and load up on lots of snacks. Those guys were like a Biblical plague of locusts when it came to food and could eat their way through an entire kitchen in nothing flat.

"What's up kiddo?" Eddie said around a mouthful of calzone. "I saw Ranger pull in right behind you." He took a big slurp of Coke and raised his eyebrows at me.

I propped my head in my hand and snagged a chunk of his calzone. "I'm the Pied Piper and he's the big fat rat that's following me!"

"Hmmm," Eddie nodded his head very solemnly as he chewed. "Personally, I always thought that he was more the Pepe Le Pew type and you were the poor innocent little kitty cat he was pursuing."

We looked at each other, and burst out laughing. God! I loved Eddie! We laughed until Eddie choked and I was in tears.

"Okay," he said, after I finished pounding on his back. "What's going on?"

It was time for a rational adult to know the whole story, so I took a deep breath and started to tell him. Before I could get a word out of my mouth, though, Ranger came out of nowhere and sat down on the other side of the table.

"Stephanie, Eddie," he gave a formal nod. "I hope you don't mind me joining you?"

"As a matter of fact …" I started, but the SOB raised a finger to silence me. I know my eyes bugged out and I'm pretty sure my head must have spun around a couple of times too.

"Eddie, I know that you and Stephanie are friends and family, and I know you've been looking out for her since Morelli was arrested. I know she trusts you, and so do I. Right now it looks like we need a mediator and I wonder if you'd be willing to do that for us?"

I don't know what I expected Ranger to say, but it wasn't that. I narrowed my eyes as I studied him, trying to figure out what his ulterior motive was, because I was sure he had one.

Eddie looked at me and cleared his throat. "I don't know about that Ranger. A mediator's supposed to be neutral. No matter what it was, I think I'd be prejudiced in Steph's favor." He took my hand in his, giving it a firm squeeze.

"Good," Ranger nodded. "She needs somebody to look out for her best interests. I know you'll do that and so does she."

Eddie shrugged. "If it's okay with you," he looked at me, "it's okay with me." He checked his watch. "I have forty minutes until I'm back on duty, so whatever it is, you better make it snappy."

I turned to Ranger. "Who's gonna tell it?" He held his hand out, palm up, to me, than folded his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair.

Eddie already knew all about the Attorney General's investigation and my attempt to confess to Abruzzi's murder and all the cop stuff. I only had to fill him in on all the personal stuff. I gave him a run down on everything from the agreement I made in Miami to pay Ranger for his help in clearing Joe, to The Deal that Ranger offered Joe to prove him innocent in exchange for me, to Joe's word to me that he wouldn't accept The Deal, to the grand finale, today's surprise news that, Yes indeed, Joe had accepted The Deal after all. "… and I'm pissed off and Ranger thinks that we need to sit down and talk about it and I don't want to until I find out _from Joe_ what's really going on!" I finished in a rush.

Eddie sat tipped back in his chair, arms folded, mirroring Ranger's position and I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. "Excuse us, Steph," Eddie said, never taking his eyes off Ranger, "Ranger and I need to have a little chat … outside, _now_!"

Chat my ass! I started to get up, I wasn't about to let them kill each other. Eddie put a hand on my shoulder, holding me in my seat. "Just guy talk, kiddo. Nothing to worry about, right Manoso?" Ranger gave a single nod, his blank face firmly in place. Every cop in the place picked up on the vibes and they all watched the two men walk out the door.

Eddie didn't get angry a lot, but when he did, look out! I held my breath as they crossed the parking lot to Ranger's truck, and even though I couldn't hear what they were saying, their body language was screaming! Eddie's face was red as he leaned in toward Ranger, his hands actually curled into fists. He got right up in Ranger's face and kept jabbing him in the shoulder, obviously reading him the riot act, and Ranger just stood there and took it. Finally Eddie held up his hands and stepped away from Ranger, obviously trying to calm himself. He ran his hands through his hair, and when he turned back, he seemed a lot more in control.

Ranger on the other hand, always looked cool, calm, and collected, but I knew that he was on alert, body coiled, ready for anything. He hadn't argued with Eddie, just let him rant. Now it looked like it was Ranger's turn to have his say and Eddie leaned an arm against the truck and listened calmly. Finally Eddie smiled and shook his head at whatever Ranger said, then slapped him on the shoulder and shook his hand. Oh swell! Now they were best buds! So much for Eddie being in my corner.

Probably their whole talk only lasted a couple of minutes, but it felt like hours before they made peace and shook hands. Eddie waited until Ranger got in his truck and drove off, then waved for me to come outside.

I flew out the door and met Eddie by his cruiser. "Okay Steph, here's the deal." He cringed and held up his hands. "Sorry, poor choice of words. Ranger will leave you alone, and when you're ready to talk, you'll call him. Okay?"

"No problem," I agreed. Sure I'd call him. Sometime in the next century. "What do you think about the rest of it, this Deal thing and all?"

"I don't know whose ass I want to kick more, Manoso's or Morelli's. I'd like to know what the hell Manoso was thinking when he cooked up this damn scheme. I told him he was lucky your gun was never loaded. And as for Morelli taking him up on it? Don't even get me started there. I want to beat them both to a pulp!"

"I know the feeling," I grumbled.

"Tomorrow you go visit Joe and see what he has to say about it all. Maybe he's got a good reason that we don't know about yet." I don't think that Eddie believed that any more than I did. He gave me a quick hug and got into his car. "You have fun with the guys tonight and I'll stop by tomorrow after my shift and we'll talk, okay?"

I gave him a quick wave and drove to the Stop and Shop to stock up on Tastykakes and Cheese Doodles and chips and dip for tonight's game, and B&J's Pistachio Pistachio for me … blissfully alone.

I didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night; despite the food and beer and company, all I could think about was talking to Joe. I wasn't at all sure that Ranger had been telling me the truth, but he had never out and out lied to me before either.

Fed up with tossing and turning, I got up early and took my time getting ready to go to the prison. I even put some extra effort into my hair and makeup. Instead of my usual jeans and t-shirt and runners, I wore black stovepipe pants, a pale pink wrap shirt that showed just a tiny little bit of my lacy Wonder bra, and heels. Hell, I even did my nails and put on jewelry. If he really had agreed to Ranger's Deal, I was gonna make damned sure that Joe Morelli regretted giving me up!

On the drive over to the MCCC I rehearsed what I was going to say. He had promised me that he wouldn't take The Deal, and I didn't want him to think that I doubted his word. I wouldn't hurt him that way. But Ranger had said that Joe had called him, so I really needed to find out what the hell was going on.

At eight sharp the doors opened and we filed silently through the door and the metal detectors. Our photo IDs were checked, we were wanded with the hand held metal detector, there were random pat downs, the drug dogs sniffed us, we went to a desk where the guard checked us off the Visitors List, and last but not least, we'd be assigned a window where we'd wait for the prisoner we were visiting.

The routine never varied. Except for today. I got as far as the Visitors' List guy who didn't even look at me. "Morelli, Joseph Anthony," I said.

The guard tapped the name into his computer. "Denied. Step out of line," he said.

"Denied?" That woke me up. "What do you mean denied? I've been here every week for months." That earned me a bored look.

The guard rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh, then looked from my Driver's License to the computer screen like he was doing me some huge favor. "There is no Stephanie Plum on the Visitors' List. The prisoner must have removed you." He handed me my license and made a shooing motion with his hands. "Next!"

I was too stunned to move. "But why?" I asked him.

"How the hell should I know? What do I look like, the Prison Social Secretary?" he snarked. "Ask him yourself! NEXT!" I'd obviously worn out my welcome.

"How can I ask him if I can't see him?" I wailed as another guard took me by the arm and ushered me out the door.

I stood out in the parking lot in a state of shock, trying to process what had just happened, but I couldn't seem to wrap my head around it. This came so out of left field that I just didn't know what to do with it. What the hell was going on? Why would Joe pull something like this and not even give me a heads up? Somehow I got to my car and just sat there until a guard tapped on my window and told me to move it.

I'm not quite sure how, but I found myself sitting in the driveway at home. I mean, I know _how _I got there, I just didn't remember the trip. By then I decided this had all been some kind of a huge mistake, or a computer glitch, or something. And now I was worried about Joe, too. I was sure he was wondering why I hadn't shown up this morning. Probably he was worried about me; probably he thought that something bad happened to me, or worse, that I'd given up on him. Poor Joe. Hey! They don't call me the Queen of Denial for nothing, ya know!

I didn't know how to fix this mess so I called Mark Cutler, Joe's lawyer, for an appointment. After all the thousands of bucks I'd paid that man, it was the least he could do for me, right?

When I got there, I was shown right into Mr. Cutler's office and he stood up from his chair and came around his desk to shake my hand and seat me in an expensive leather guest chair. The secretary offered me refreshments and I had to wonder if everyone who came into the office got the same red carpet treatment, or if it was just because my name was on so many of the checks he'd cashed since he'd taken Joe's case. Whatever it was, we schmoozed for a few minutes and then he got down to business.

"Miss Plum," he wore his sincere face, "I understand that you went to the prison to visit Mr. Morelli this morning. I deeply regret any embarrassment you suffered when you were turned away by the guards."

Well, see that? He knew all about it. There must have been some kind of a mix up! I just shook my head and held up my hand in a 'don't worry about it' gesture.

He continued. "I want to give you my personal assurance that had I known in advance of Mr. Morelli's intent to remove you from his visitors list, I would have informed you immediately in order to avoid such a painful situation."

What? Wait … what did he just say? I blinked at him a couple of times as I absorbed what he'd said. "Are you telling me that Joe took me off his visitors list on purpose?"

"It would seem so. Yes."

I cleared my suddenly dry throat. "Do you know why?"

"I'm sorry, I have no idea." Cutler didn't seem real happy telling me all this.

"Oh," was all I could manage to get out. "I really need to talk to him. Would you ask him to get in touch with me … please? I know he can write letters or call." I stood up to leave, but he stopped me.

"Miss Plum, I am truly sorry, but there are several more issues that Mr. Morelli asked me to discuss with you."

I sank back into the chair and braced myself. Somehow I knew this wasn't gonna be good.

"First of all, against my advice, Mr. Morelli has revoked the Power of Attorney that he had assigned to you. It is now in his mother's name. I must ask you to turn over all legal documents concerning his property, finances and so forth that you have in your possession. I will provide you with a list of specific items. Mrs. Morelli will now be charged with payment of …" He droned on and I zoned out, my head spinning from trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Miss Plum …" He said my name twice before I snapped to attention.

"I'm sorry. I'm having a tough time taking all this in. I, ah, never saw this coming. Joe never let on that he wanted to make any changes."

"He did not see fit to consult me, either." The lawyer didn't sound too happy about that one.

All I could do was stare at him.

Cutler picked up a pencil and toyed with it. "I have to tell you that Mrs. Morelli has informed me that she has frozen the joint checking account. The bank is sending you a check for half the balance. The savings account is in Mr. Morelli's name and you have been removed as a signatory. And finally, the house …"

I cut him off. "So what you're telling me is that I'm going to be out on the street and flat broke." Okay, I'd started out being confused and hurt, now I was just furious!

Cutler sighed. "May I suggest that you get yourself a good lawyer? I may represent Mr. Morelli, but I am well aware that you have shouldered all the financial responsibilities. You need to recoup those monies, Miss Plum. Let me give you some referrals." He picked up his phone and buzzed his secretary for the information.

Two minutes later she came in with a list of names and a stack of files. "Here are those referrals you asked for, and these are the copies of the Morelli evidence files that you requested from the District Attorney's Office."

"Would you fax a copy of the file to Carlos Manoso at RangeMan, please," he said to the secretary. "He's been engaged by Mr. Morelli as an independent investigator." The secretary nodded and left.

My ears perked up at that. Joe had said the evidence against him was hinkey, but didn't say why, only but what it could still convict him. That light bulb over my head went on again. If I could find out what the evidence was, and I could prove that it wasn't legit, then maybe _I _could prove Joe innocent all by myself. Joe wouldn't need Ranger's Deal, and then Ranger wouldn't get the payoff, _**me**_, and I could kick both of those rat bastards to the curb. Oh man! I was really _really_ liking that idea!

While I was picturing myself doing a Mission Impossible break in of his office, Fortune smiled and Cutler got called out for a minute. I dashed around his desk and flipped through the stack of folders, snagged a copy of the evidence file, slipped it into my bag, and slid back into my chair just as Cutler came back in the door. I thanked him for the referrals and his kindness, acted a little weepy, and got the hell out of there fast. I couldn't wait to sit down and start studying the file. The sooner I started, the sooner I'd be able to get rid of two major pains in my ass!

But when I got back to Joe's house, I didn't think of it as 'home' anymore, Anthony's rattletrap car was parked out front and Anthony's ass was parked on the couch. He had his feet were propped up on Aunt Tootie's coffee table and the living room was trashed, strewn with empty beer bottles and pizza boxes. The freeloader had already polished off all the leftovers from last night.

I knocked his feet off the coffee table. "What are you doing here, Anthony?" You useless piece of shit. Okay, so I didn't say that outloud.

"I told ya, Ma wants me to live here and take care of the place for Joey." He folded his hands over his gut and grinned at me.

I snorted. "Yeah, and you're doing a damn fine job of it already." The sarcasm was lost on him.

I went into the kitchen and since all the olives, all the chips, and all the leftovers were gone, I made myself a peanut butter and apple sandwich. What? I can try new things. It tastes like one of those caramel apples you get at the Boardwalk. And Rex loves them.

Anthony leaned against the door jamb. "Ya know, now that this is _my _place, I can have whoever I want stay here. You wanna stick around?"

"Gee, let me think about that. **NO**!! Why don't you disappear for a couple hours while I get my stuff together?"

"No can do, _Cupcake_. Gotta watch you don't steal nothin'." Look who's talking.

I shrugged. "Yeah well, all that new furniture? Joe and I went 50/50 on it. Why don't you go out and find a chain saw so I can take my half with me?" I popped the last bite of sandwich into my mouth and gave him a fake smile. I could tell by the expression on his stupid face that he wasn't sure if I was serious or not.

I pulled out duffle bags and laundry baskets and suitcases. Everything I owned was in this house and I needed to take as much as I could with me so that I'd never have to come back here again. I got Anthony to carry all my shoes down to my car, stacking the boxes in the back. I lugged a couple of duffle bags down and when I went back to the bedroom, Anthony had my underwear drawer open and was fingering my panties. He leered at me in the mirror, held a pair up to his nose and sniffed. Ewwwww!

I grabbed the panties and shoved him out of the way, pulled out the drawer and dumped everything in a laundry basket. Speed counted now, not neatness. Anthony stood close enough behind me that I could smell his beer breath. "You know, I'm supposed to take care of Joey's house. I could take real good care of his woman, too." He ran his hand over my ass and squeezed my butt cheek.

I didn't say a word, just spun around and sucker punched him right square in the nose. The satisfying crunch of cartilage breaking just warmed my heart. Maybe I couldn't sock Joe, but his brother made a great substitute punching bag. I stood with my fists held up like a prize fighter's, ready to nail him again.

His eyes bugged and he screamed like a little girl as blood spurted all over the place. "You're a fucking psycho!" he bellowed.

"Be afraid, Anthony!" I snarled. "Be very afraid! Put you grubby paws and me again and it won't be your nose I break!" and I pointedly looked at his crotch. He didn't need to know that I wouldn't touch his crotch even if I was wearing a HAZ-MAT suit!

He stumbled out of the room and down the stairs. I heard the front door slam and his car start. Probably he was on his way back to his mommy.

I jammed stuff into my car until I swear the doors bulged. I even wrestled a fifty pound bag of Bob's dog food into the back seat. I loaded up the coffee maker, toaster, and my brown bear cookie jar. Of course, the cardboard box under the bridge on Rt.1 that I'd be living in probably didn't have a whole lot of outlets for appliances, but still, I brought them with me when I'd moved in, I was taking them with me when I moved out!

Lastly, I loaded up Bob and Rex and, just to be bitchy, every single roll of toilet paper and paper towels, and every box of tissues in the house, silently praying that Anthony would be cursed with the world's worst case of diarrhea.

I had worked up a mental check list of things that I really needed to get done: Rex, Bob, my mother, a place to live, revenge, … well, you know, important stuff. Since Rex was first on the list, I headed over to Mary Lou's house and asked her to hamster sit for me. She'd already heard all my news via the Burg gossip mill, so I filled her in on the _true_ story. I left out the part about Ranger's Deal, though; she was way too young to have a heart attack. Her kids still needed her.

Lou gave me coffee and ice cream and a shoulder to cry on, then offered me her basement rec room to stay in while I hunted for someplace permanent to live. Now don't get me wrong, I really appreciated the offer. I mean, Lenny and Lou were willing to disrupt their whole lives to make room for me. But the last time I slept over, I woke up when a snotty nosed three year old sneezed in my face and asked for a kiss. Not that I don't love Mary Lou's kids, but the snot dripping off the chin thing? Not so much. So the rec room would be a last resort option, right after the box under the bridge.

From Mary Lou's I went to Eddie and Shirley's house. Eddie wasn't home yet, so I figured I'd really have to beg Shirley to take in Bob for a while, and I had my sales pitch all worked out. Their evil spawn adored Bob and Bob loved them right back. He'd be able to play to his heart's content with the kids, and in exchange, those wild animals would be worn out. And no, I didn't call them evil spawn or animals, at least not to her face. It was a total win/win situation.

Shirley was so thrilled that she could put away her whip and chair for a while, that she threw her arms around me and I swear to God, I thought she was going to cry. Bob would be treated like a king and I could check one more thing off my to-do list.

I sucked it up and called my mother. She was so angry that I was afraid she was going to stroke out. Of course, it was probably because Angie had gotten around the threat Mom had issued at the hospital. Angie hadn't said a single word about me; just let nosy Burg residents do all the work for her. I was so beyond caring at that point that nothing that anyone could say about me would have mattered at all. I promised to come over for dinner on Friday and added another check to the list.

When I moved in with Joe, I'd left everything I didn't need in the storage room in the apartment building basement. Any of the residents who could use any of the stuff were welcome to it, but now _I_ was going to need all that stuff again. I decided to see if there was anything left so I took a trip over to see Dillon, the apartment Super. I thought he might even have a line on an apartment. I even stopped and bought him a six pack.

"Hey Steph! Long time, no see! How the hell are ya?" He greeted me with a big smile and a matching bear hug and his eyes lit up when he saw the beer.

I told him why I was there and filled him in on the latest news as we made our way through the bowels of the building to look in the store room. Unfortunately, the only thing of mine that was left was a broken toaster oven. Just my luck.

Back in Dillon's apartment, we each cracked open a beer and clinked bottles. "Sorry things didn't work out for you and Morelli," Dillon sympathized. "What are you gonna do now?"

"I still work for Vinnie." Dillon cringed and I smacked his arm. "I'm a lot better at it these days, so my income's pretty good." He rolled his eyes like a Jersey Girl. "No, honest! I was paying Joe's legal fees."

Dillon looked impressed. "Wow! You did get better. I bet that was a lot of money!" Then he grinned. "Unless his lawyer is somebody like Albert Kloughn." I snorted beer through my nose.

"Oh that's just plain mean!" I finished off the beer and got up to leave. "Anyway, as soon as I find someplace to live, everything'll be fine."

"You know, I might be able to help you out," and he gave me a wink.

Oh God! Don't tell me that Dillon was going to make me an 'offer' like Anthony did! "Well, thanks Dillon, but …"

"No seriously! The old guy who rented your apartment went into a nursing home. His lease doesn't expire for three months and he still has to pay the rent on the place. I've been trying to rent it for him but nobody wants a three month rental. Would that work for ya?"

Damn skippy that'd work! "Oh my God! Dillon! That's perfect!"

With the promise of a twelve pack, Dillon helped me unload my car. Unfortunately, it was too late to have the electricity turned on, but Mary Lou fixed me right up when I went back to her house to pick up Rex. Two hours later I was at home in my apartment. Dillon and I had shared a pizza and the rest of the 6-pack for dinner. He was keeping the 12-pack for himself.

I had my clothes, my hamster, two sleeping bags, a camping lantern, 64 rolls of toilet paper, 6 boxes of tissues, and a case of paper towels. I have no idea what time it was when I stripped down and clambered into my sleeping bag. I'd put Rex's cage on the floor next to me so that neither one of us would be alone and I tapped gently on the glass.

"Looks like it's just the two of us again, Rex. All the other men in my life seem to come and go. You're the only one who sticks around." He twitched his whiskers in agreement.

I curled up into a little ball, pulled the sleeping bag over my head, and cried my way through half a box of tissues before I finally fell asleep.

TBC …

A/N: So, what's up with Joe? Why would he do this to Stephanie? Do you think it was part of Ranger's Deal? Would Ranger want to hurt Steph like that? And what do you think of Steph's plan to prove Joe innocent? Do you see trouble ahead? Let me know what you think!

Thank you so everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter, I tried to respond to everyone, but if you aren't registered on Fanfiction, I can't reply to your review. But thank you for all the wonderful comments and suggestions. Please keep 'em coming. You all know what a terrible Review Whore I am! LOL!

Stayce


	16. I Love To Hate You!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for everything, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_**True love cannot be found where it truly does not exist,**_

_**Nor can it be hidden where it truly does.**_

_**Anonymous**_

_**Chapter 16: To Know Him Is To Love Him!**_

I woke up too early, stiff, stuffy, and still exhausted. Sleeping on the floor hadn't been fun since I was six and had camped out under the dining room table at Grandma and Grandpa Mazur's house while Val went off to summer camp. I was heartbroken at being left behind but Grandma always knew how to make things better. She turned the dining room chairs backwards and put the sofa cushions under the table for us to sleep on. Then she draped the whole thing with sheets, making a perfect tent for me.

She wouldn't let Grandpa Mazur turn on any lights so he went over to my house to watch TV with my dad. Grandma and I used a camping lantern and had flashlights to find our way around the house, ate hot dogs for dinner and toasted marshmallows over the gas burners on her kitchen stove. We sat outside on the back steps after dark and counted fire flies and Grandma pointed out planets and constellations. It was one of my favorite childhood memories.

Ironically, it turned out I despised summer camp when I was finally old enough to go … it was the camping part that did me in. Oh, I did swell on the swimming and canoeing and sitting around the campfire part. The actual camping part of summer camp though, nope, not for me. I mean camping and hiking? Oh please! It's not that I was a girly girl. I mean I could climb a tree or ride a bike or jump a fence with the best of 'em. But I came out of the womb a full fledged Jersey Girl. We like our creature comforts. We don't sleep on the ground and we don't walk … anywhere! It's just part of the Jersey Girl Code of Conduct.

Anyway, I yawned and stretched, and tried to work out some of the kinks before I crawled out of the sleeping bag. I did consider rolling over and conking out again but not without a real bed, and curtains. I just sat there, glaring at the brilliant, cheerful sunshine streaming through the curtain-less windows. That's what woke me up so early, dammit! I decided right then that there was gonna be an air mattress and sun blocking window shades in my immediate future.

I finally worked up the energy to haul my ass up off the floor and rooted around for my bathroom stuff. I needed to brush my teeth and wash my face before I made a much needed Dunkin' Donuts run. I know, I know. Addiction is a terrible thing, but there was no way I was starting this day without my coffee.

After last night's crying jag, I really needed a caffeine fix to perk me up. No pun intended.

It wasn't until I'd rinsed my face and reached blindly for a towel that it dawned on me I _didn't have_ any towels. Crap! I realized way too late that when I loaded up and moved out of Joe's house yesterday, I only took 'my' stuff. I had grabbed all the things that I had brought with me when I moved in, all that I could carry, that is, and left behind everything that had been 'ours'.

I admit it. That was a pretty lamebrained move on my part. I mean, I paid for half of that stuff and now that turd Anthony would be using it. That just chapped my ass! To say that yesterday hadn't exactly been one of my better days was a gross understatement, and in my defense, I could say that I had been working on sheer emotion, but mostly, I was just numb. I'd lost my boyfriend, my home, and just about every dime I had to my name, all in one fell swoop.

Needless to say, if I had thought about what I was doing more carefully, I'd have done it differently. I would've just wrung Anthony's stupid neck, put everything in the house in a huge yard sale to raise some cash, and then burned the place down to the ground. But I wasn't bitter, oh no, not me!

For crying out loud, all I wanted was a gallon of coffee and a long hot shower. Was I being unreasonable? Was that too much to ask for? I didn't think so! But I must have pissed off the gods or karma or the universe because I had a coffee maker, but no electricity, and I had a shower, but no soap or towels. The story of my friggin' life! I hoped to hell somebody was laughing, 'cause I sure as hell didn't see the humor.

So, I was snarky, fuming, and cursing a blue streak when I stomped into the kitchen, pissed off beyond words that I had to dry my face with paper towels and dick-head Anthony was probably using all my beautiful fluffy cotton towels for toilet paper. But still, I spotted the Dunkin' Donuts bag on the counter right away. Well shit! My eyes just kinda rolled themselves and I let out a huge groan. I mean, didn't I just have this dream a little while ago? What the hell was this, déjà vu all over again?

I stuck my head out of the kitchen, took a look at my front door and heaved a sigh. I knew it! The dead bolt was still locked and the safety chain was still on. There was only one person who could walk through locked doors and we all knew who that was, didn't we? "Son of a bitch!" I yelled at the ceiling. "What part of 'leave me alone' does that man not get?" I really wanted to throw something, only there wasn't anything to throw, except maybe Rex, and he was safe.

Really though, I was still so pissed at Ranger that it actually crossed my mind to open the bedroom window and pitch the bag out into the parking lot. Now, that's mad! But being the calm, rational, level-headed adult that I am, I weighed my anger with Ranger against my need for the coffee I knew was in that bag. No surprise, the coffee won, hands down. Throwing it out would've been stupid, and let's face it, I'm pretty sure that I'd already filled my stupid quota for the rest of my life.

I gave in and approached the bag with the same reverence as I would the Holy Grail. I'm pretty sure I actually moaned when I looked inside and found two still steaming jumbo coffees, an orange juice, an egg, bacon, and cheese breakfast sandwich, and a couple of Boston Crèmes.

I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, then climbed out the window and sat on the fire escape to have my breakfast al fresco. The fact that I only had the floor to sit on inside might have had something to do with it too. I savored my coffee, scarfed down the sandwich and juice, and was just licking the chocolate donut icing off my fingers when I heard the unmistakable whine of a high performance engine. Company!

The shiny black Porsche Turbo did a slow drive by of my parking lot, idling in front of the fire escape. I had to wonder where the devil truck was. Probably at Al's, getting a new windshield and I smiled for the first time in a couple of days. I just leaned back against the steps and sipped my coffee. I did look over as the Turbo idled in the street and raised my cup in silent salute. Oh come on! Just because I was pissed at him and pretty much hated his guts didn't mean that I couldn't thank him for saving me a trip to Dunkin' Donuts.

I didn't have to see Ranger's face to know that his lips tipped into his almost smile before he roared away. Smug bastard! He knew damn good and well that food equaled love in my life. Probably he thought that he was buttering me up so he could move in for the kill later on. Ha! Not happening, buster. It was gonna take a lot more than coffee and donuts to soften me up!

Coffee and food made me feel almost human, so I shoved my hair up under a ball cap, loaded my hair stuff and a change of clothes into my duffle, and headed to my parents' house for a quick shower. I had a lot of running to do today. I needed to go to the cell phone store and replace the one I'd lobbed at Ranger. I had to hit the bank to open a new checking account. I could forget the savings account, pretty much all my money was in Joe's, and since there was no hope of getting my hands on that, I was broke again. So, I needed to bring in a couple of skips so I could pay rent. I had to get my electricity turned on and then I'd stop at Wal-Mart and max out my credit card on necessities. You know, peanut butter, white bread, olives, Cheese Doodles, Ben & Jerry's … the basic essentials of life as I knew it.

I was climbing into my car when I noticed the white envelope stuck under my windshield wiper. I had to keep myself from laughing when I opened it and found the SIM card from the phone I'd smashed against Ranger's windshield. I wondered where he'd found it. Probably it was embedded in the glass. Never let it be said that Stephanie Plum doesn't leave an impression.

The Burg radar was working fine because both Mom and Grandma Mazur were standing at the door when I pulled up in front of the house. Of course, every neighbor on the street was watching too. I must have looked like a Miss America wanna-be, waving and smiling to all of them as I hopped out of my car. I was pretty sure the rumor mill had vultures circling my rotting corpse as it swung from the tree where I'd hung myself because I was so despondent over my break-up with Joe. I wanted to make sure that word got back to Angie Morelli that despite all her efforts, I was alive and well after all.

Grandma started peppering me with questions even before I hit the steps. "Is it true that the cops had to carry you out of the house because you refused to leave? Naomi Guzzamano said that you threatened to put a contract out on Grandma Bella! Did you really take a couple of pot shots at Anthony with your gun? Is it true that Joe kicked you to the curb because you and that hot bounty hunter were having sex in Joe's bed?"

"Mother!" my mom gasped and rolled her eyes.

Grandma trailed me into the house, hot on my heels, hungry for all the gory details. "Grandma!" I turned to look at her. "No cops! Believe me; I couldn't wait to get out of that house. I can't afford to put a hit on Bella because I'm broke, and anyway, I wouldn't do Angie that kind of favor. I probably should have shot Grab-Ass Anthony instead of just punching him in the nose. And no, I would never cheat. Okay?"

"Okay," she said, deflated. "Just checking." I almost felt bad disappointing her like that.

I escaped upstairs to the shower. Thirty minutes later I was scrunching Mr. Alexander's miracle anti-frizz serum through my hair and trying to convince myself that my life didn't completely suck after all, when my mom tapped on the door and stuck her head in. "Eddie Gazzara is downstairs. He needs to talk to you right away. You aren't in any kind of trouble, are you?"

Trouble? Ranger brought me breakfast, so I didn't think he pressed charges over the windshield. That only left one other possibility, more Morelli Misery. "Of course not, Mom!" I said and smiled innocently.

I found Eddie at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and huge piece of coffee cake, happy in the knowledge that we wouldn't rat him out to Shirley for falling off his diet. I poured myself a cup and plunked down across from him, adding cream and sugar as he wolfed down his cake.

"So what's up, Eddie?" I asked as he chewed.

"Couple of things," he looked around to see if my mom and Grandma Mazur were within earshot. Even though they weren't around, he still lowered his voice. "You're not the only one Joe took off his visitor's list."

That little bit of news surprised me. "Really? Who else?"

"Me, Big Dog, Carl, Robin … everybody at the station, even the brass." Eddie looked worried. "It's not going down real well. We all went out on a limb for him, backing him publicly the way we did. Everybody's pretty pissed."

"I'll bet!" I leaned my elbows on the table and propped my chin in my hands. "At least it's not just me that he dumped, not that it makes me feel any better." I sighed. "I really thought we were good, Eddie, and then he pulls all this shit on me without a word." I looked down into my coffee and blinked away the tears. "I just don't get it."

"Me neither. Something's going on with him." He sounded less unhappy and more pissed.

I watched Eddie for a minute and I was pretty sure he had an idea of what was up. "What do you think it is?"

He caught me staring at him and immediately lightened up. He shook his head and shrugged. "Ah! I don't know… some guys go a little nuts when they get inside, maybe he thinks we bailed on him, maybe his mother got to him. Who knows?" Eddie was back peddling, he wasn't going to share his suspicions.

He got up, went to the counter, poured himself another cup of coffee and eyed the coffee cake on the table. I cut him another hunk and put it on his plate, then cut a piece for myself … just so he wouldn't have to eat alone, you know.

"Anyhow, Toots," he said, changing the subject, "I thought you'd want to know that Angie Morelli flew into the station on her broom first thing this morning." His eyes twinkled as he grinned at me.

"Oh swell," I snarked. "Spreading doom and gloom wherever she goes, I'm sure. I'm almost afraid to ask what she wanted."

"Oh you'll love this," Eddie said around a bite of cake. "She wanted to press charges against you for assault and battery," he said with a grin.

"What?" I squeaked, jumping up and knocking over my chair. "Assault and Battery?"

"Yeah," Eddie was still smiling as he got up and righted my chair. "Seems that poor little Anthony has a broken nose."

"I should have broken his _neck_ instead," I snarled as Eddie pushed me down in my seat. "He put his hands on me!" I shuddered. "I shoulda squashed him like the cockroach he is!"

"I figured as much." He patted my shoulder and brought the coffee pot over to the table, filling my cup. "Eat your cake, Steph."

I stabbed the cake with my fork so hard I almost broke the plate. "So are you here to arrest me?"

"You kidding me?" he said with a snort. "I'd never get out of here alive with your Mom and Grandma in the living room. I told Angie that I'd be happy to arrest you right after Anthony pressed charges."

I glared at him. "Oh jeez! What a pal!"

"Not to worry about Anthony. It get's out he touched you, his wife won't take him back. He won't risk having the first divorce in Morelli family history. His mother'd disown him."

"Oh great! One more thing for her to blame on me!" I had this mental image of Angie, done up like the Wicked Witch of the West, green face and all, rubbing her hands together and cackling, 'I'll get you, my pretty, and your little hamster, too!' And to think, this woman could have been my mother-in-law. That whole family was psycho!

Eddie finished his cake and coffee, kissed me on the top of my head, told me to call if I needed anything and took off. My mother stood in the kitchen doorway, arms folded, watching me. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked softly.

I just shook my head and gave her a rueful smile. There really wasn't anything anybody could do, except maybe explain to me how my life had gone south so fast. I told her about getting my apartment back and all the stuff I had to get done and how it pissed me off to have to start from scratch all over again. Turns out that my mom's a really great listener. Who knew?

I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but God bless my mother. She offered to do my Wal-Mart run for me and to have the power turned on in my apartment. She said she'd round up some extra towels and bedding and household stuff and bring it over. My Dad would get an air mattress and set it up for me so I wouldn't have to sleep on the floor and he'd bring over the extra TV so I wouldn't miss _The Housewives of New Jersey_, my latest guilty pleasure. Mary Lou and I watch it at home and then talk about it on the phone the next morning. We decided that Dina's lips are real but Danielle doesn't have an original body part. I gave Mom a key to my apartment, hugged her good-bye and took off to run the rest of my errands.

As soon as I had my new phone and checking account, I grabbed a bucket of chicken and some Cokes, and hot footed it over to the bonds office. Over lunch, I filled Connie and Lula in on all the goings on. Well, almost all. I left out the part about Ranger and his Deal. I didn't want to have to give either one of them CPR, plus the only people who knew about it were Ranger, Joe, me and Eddie, and I wanted to keep it that way. Let's face it, Connie and Lula couldn't keep a secret if their lives depended on it and if I didn't want every single person on the East Coast to know about The Deal, Connie and Lula couldn't know either.

"So why was Ranger tailing you?" Lula asked around the chicken leg stuck in her mouth.

"Does anybody know why that man does anything?" I countered, hoping they'd drop it.

"Well then, why are you so mad at him? The whole town's talking about the show you put on in the middle of Hamilton Avenue yesterday." Connie rooted around in the bucket for an identifiable piece of chicken.

"I'm just sick and tired of him expecting me to jump when he snaps his fingers, that's all." I tried to act nonchalant.

"Uh-huh," Connie eyed me suspiciously. "And just where is he expecting you to jump … into bed?"

"What? No!" Okay so I had my fingers crossed on that one. "He's not stupid! He knows that'll never happen again," I snarked, then clapped my hand over my mouth when I realized what I had said.

The office was dead silent for ten whole seconds before all hell broke loose.

"YOU DID IT WITH BATMAN?" Lula screamed and practically climbed over Connie's desk to get to me.

"I knew it! I just knew it! You could cut the sexual tension between you two with a knife!" Connie jumped to her feet.

"When? When did it happen?" Lula demanded, grabbing me by the front of my shirt and shaking me. "Details! We want details!"

I just sat there with my face in my hands. Shit! Shit! Shit!

"Oh, oh, I know," Connie poked Lula with her fingernail. "Remember that weekend before Ranger went in the wind for all those months?"

"Yeah! Before Steph got back with Morelli." The Snoop Sisters were figuring it all out. They didn't need me so I got up to leave but Connie shoved me back into my chair and kept a hand on my shoulder. I wasn't going anywhere.

"Yep! Remember she didn't answer her phones and we couldn't figure out where she was?"

"Riiiiight!" Lula agreed. "I forgot all about that. And she was so snarky for a couple of weeks afterwards. I bet that was it!"

"I can't believe she never told us!"

"Yeah. What was that all about? I thought we was _friends_!" Lula demanded.

Hands on hips, they turned to glare at me. "Well?"

Maybe if I hit my head hard enough on the edge of Connie's desk I could knock myself cold. "Well what?" I said lamely looking back and forth between them.

"Well why didn't you tell us?" they demanded.

I blew out a deep breath. "Because of all this," I said, flapping my hands. "I knew you'd get all excited and want all the details, and all I wanted to do was forget it ever happened."

"Forget? Why would you want to forget?" Connie looked stunned. "Oh God! Please don't tell me the sex was awful. I've been fantasizing about that man for years."

"No. The sex was phenomenal," I sighed, resigned to giving them all the details. All thirty-six hours of it!

"Then why?" They both looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"Because it didn't mean anything to him," I shrugged, way beyond being hurt by the fact. "It was just a roll in the sheets. The next day he took off without a word, no note, no phone call, no message, no nothing. Just, 'Poof!' vanished."

"Oh, Girl," Lula sank down in her chair, sympathy written all over her face. She knew what I was talking about.

"Oh don't worry, I'm over it. But I'd like to think I learned from my mistakes and that's one I'm not making ever again."

"And you was with Morelli when he got back, right?"

"Yup. But Ranger thought we were going to pick up right where we left off. It was a great big shocker for him when I said no."

"So Vinnie was right, sorta. Ranger went to Miami because you wouldn't give him sex. And not just kinky sex … any sex!"

I had to laugh. "Well, as much as I'd like to think I was that great in bed, Ranger probably had other reasons for moving to Miami. Don't know, don't care."

"Hey!" Lula sat up straight. "Is he back here hittin' on you because Morelli's in jail? 'Cause if he is, me and Connie can take care of him for ya!"

Oh, that was a picture I'd like to see. "Well thanks, but not necessary. Ranger's back because Joe hired him as an independent investigator to try and prove his innocence."

Connie let out a long, low whistle. "Wow! Ranger doesn't come cheap. Can you imagine what he's charging Joe?"

Oh, I didn't have to imagine. I knew exactly what Ranger's price was. Only I sure as hell wasn't telling Connie and Lula. I'd spilled enough of my guts for one day, thankyouverymuch.

I finally escaped the office with the promise that Lula and I would pick up Damien DeVil first thing in the morning. Lula wasn't too happy about that, but I told her to go load up on garlic and crosses and wooden stakes. I mean, come on. What was the worst that could happen?

I decided that if I wasn't going to let myself get depressed over all the crap that had happened the last couple of days, I needed to keep busy. I shuffled through the new stack of skips that Connie gave me, decided I'd go pick up one or two.

Little Joey Castro had been a bagman for a small time local hood, but with the economy in the toilet, the hood had moved on to the greener pastures of Atlantic City and Little Joey had been reduced to rigging the Wednesday night Bingo games at Holy Trinity Community Center. Defrauding little blue haired old ladies didn't hold him in high esteem with the mob or the Parish, and when those little old ladies caught on to what he was doing, they ganged up on him and beat six shades of shit out of him with their canes and purses and walkers. The cops probably saved his life when they hauled him off.

As a little reminder, I took two members of that blue-haired old lady squad, Grandma Mazur and her friend, Greta Gruber, with me on the pick up. Little Joey took one look at them and practically put the cuffs on himself. Easy-peasy! By way of thanks, I told Grandma and Greta that I'd take them out for a martini some night. Yeah, I know. What was I thinking?

Gloria Hudak was next on my list. She had a habit of writing bad paper for useless stuff like gas and electricity and food and rent. She had four kids, two jobs, and a no good, piece of shit, deadbeat dad of a husband who was so far behind on his child support that if he ever paid up in full, Gloria and the kids could live in the Taj Mahal with money to spare. She had honestly forgotten her court date. The kids were still all in school when I picked her up and Connie met us at the station to re-bail her out and I drove her home, all in under an hour.

Added to what I had in my brand new checking account, I could afford to pay my rent and buy some groceries. Normally, I would have taken myself home and laid down for a little nap before dinner to celebrate. The thought of stretching out on the floor did nothing for me though, so I snagged a Coke and a bag of chips from the 7-11 and went to the park instead. I found a nice bench in the shade and pulled the evidence file that I had copped from Joe's lawyer out of my bag, and started to give it a read. With everything that had happened, I hadn't had a chance to even look at it. But if I was gonna prove Joe's innocence before Ranger did, I'd better get my ass in gear.

Of course I'd been wondering how Ranger was going to go about finding evidence to prove Joe didn't kill Abruzzi. Joe and I both knew that Ranger had done the deed himself. How he was going to clear Joe without turning himself in was beyond me. I was pretty sure he wouldn't try to pin it on another innocent person, and incriminating himself was out of the question. He had to have something up his sleeve, right? But what? I'd been over it a hundred times and still came up with diddly squat.

I sat cross legged on the bench and opened the file. There were lists and lists of items taken from the house under the search warrant, a lot of them I didn't even realize they took. Most of them returned already, like my laptop and tennis shoes. The whole thing was written in 'legalize', blah-blah-blah. At the back of the file though, was the list of items that would be called into evidence against Joe at trial. That was the important stuff.

The first thing I came across was the medical report from the ER the night I was treated for the burn on my arm, the night Abruzzi died. Unfortunately it wasn't the original report. This was the one that Tank had cooked up to keep Rinaldi and Malfitano from believing me when I tried to confess to killing Abruzzi.

This one said, 'Detective Morelli requested that Ms. Plum be given a shot for pain as well as a follow up prescription for additional pain meds.' If I was passed out from pain meds, I couldn't have killed Abruzzi, which worked out great for me. But I was Joe's alibi, and if a jury thought I was passed out from pain meds, they wouldn't believe me when I swore he hadn't left the house that night. I knew I hadn't had that shot; now all I had to do was prove it.

Okay, this was good. I found some place to start. I could go to the hospital and see if they had the original report. I could check the bill that had been submitted to my insurance company. They itemized everything used during an ER visit right down to the band aids and rubber gloves and they would have charged me for the shot. I made notes on a little pad I brought with me.

Next, there were copies of the sign in sheets from the evidence locker at the cop shop. Every case had a container with all the evidence collected during the investigation, ME's reports, autopsy, ballistics, pictures, fingerprints, all the stuff you see on CSI, and it was locked up, under guard, at the station. According to the log, Joe had signed out the box from the Abruzzi case twice. That looked bad because Joe wasn't one of the detectives assigned to the case and had no professional reason to take the evidence. Joe's signature and badge number were on the sign out sheet, but without expert handwriting analysis, there was no way to prove if it was really Joe's or not, dammit!

The inventory list from the evidence was hi-lited in red and my heart dropped into my stomach. Evidence was missing. The bullet that the Medical Examiner had dug out of Abruzzi's head was gone, and when the cops had collected the murder weapon from Abruzzi's car, they had logged in the serial numbers on the gun. The weapon that was in the box now had a different serial number. Somebody had switched it out. Since the only person digging around in the evidence box was Joe, all fingers pointed at him. This was bad … really bad. Somebody was doing a really great job of setting him up.

I kept reading and almost fell off the bench, my stomach rolled, my vision got blurry and the words swam across the paper. The original gun, the murder weapon, had been located ... in Joe's basement. It had been wrapped in an old towel and stuffed behind some water pipes. That was the piece of evidence that was gonna hang him. I sat back and scrubbed my hands over my face. Talk about finding the smoking gun!

Whoever was doing this went to a hell of a lot of trouble to frame Joe for Abruzzi's murder. Much as I wanted to beat Joe bloody and kick his ass around the block a couple of times, I still didn't want him to spend the rest of his life in jail for a crime he didn't commit. Hell, as pissed as I was at Ranger, I didn't want him facing life in prison for a crime he DID commit. Proving Joe innocent wasn't going to be as easy as I thought it was.

The Attorney General's office had done its homework. The original owner of the murder weapon and the one used to replace it, was a Pennsylvania superior court judge who had reported his entire gun collection stolen a couple of years ago. From time to time, other guns from the heist had turned up, used in robberies or homicides, and the same name was always connected to them, D'Wayne Porter. I knew D.

D'Wayne, or D. to his friends, was one of Trenton's more enterprising citizens. When asked, he liked to tell people that he made a name for himself in 'acquisitions'. D'Wayne's idea of humor. He was a thief and had a gift for delivering things that folks wanted. You name it, and D. could get it for you. That is, if you could pay the freight and didn't mind that whatever it was you wanted had been 'previously owned'.

He and his gang ran their diversified operation out of a small abandoned building right off Stark Street, not exactly the best part of town. Home to chop shops, gang bangers, drugs dealers, pimps and fences, hookers outnumbered housewives on the streets and most of the residents didn't show their faces in the light of day.

Inhabitants had a live and let live policy, unless of course, you were talking about gangs. Gang colors were prominent and gang graffiti decorated abandoned buildings and burned out cars, marking turf. Turf wars were the norm and a day without a killing was the exception. More innocent bystanders were taken out in drive-bys and shoot outs than actual gang members. Not that anybody who lived on Stark Street was all that innocent anyway. It was a safe bet that anybody who went to Stark Street, day or night, was looking for trouble and usually found it.

D'Wayne Porter fit right in with the rest of the Stark Street denizens. He had a reputation for being a savvy businessman and for being mean as a junk yard dog. Anybody who crossed him disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. Rumor had it that they got chopped up and fed to the pack of pit bulls that guarded his building. Nice doggie!

But like I said, I knew D. and we got along just fine. Of course, I was just on a ride along with Ranger when he went to pick up D. and one of his soldiers. I pretty much just sat in the SUV and gave him a little finger wave. D. made kissing sounds and waggled his tongue at me, earning himself a smack in the back of the head from Ranger. But I'm pretty sure there were no hard feelings and I really needed to talk to this guy about those guns.

I looked at my watch. It was no use going to Stark Street too early, nobody rolled out until late afternoon and it wasn't exactly a good spot to hang around, if you know what I mean. I did try to be smart about it though, and I checked to make sure that my gun was loaded and my cell phone charged before I took off. I also left Connie a message, telling her where I was headed, just in case I turned out to be one of those people who wound up as dog food.

The sun was dipping behind the buildings when I parked on Stark Street a couple of doors down from D.'s. His place was easy to identify. It was surrounded by a ten foot high chain link fence with razor wire on the top. Inside the fence half a dozen pit bulls roamed, barking and growling at anything that moved. The gate had security cameras posted every few feet, and enough high power lighting to be seen from the space shuttle.

I got out of the car thinking that maybe this wasn't such a hot idea after all, but since I was here, I might as well take a shot. Of course, there was a real possibility that I _could _get shot. I guess I should've thought of that before I got here. Oh well! I stuck my gun in the back of my waistband and pulled my shirt down over it. Taking a deep breath for courage, I strolled over to the gate and pushed the intercom, hoping to hell that I looked like I knew what I was doing. The dogs lined up on the other side of the fence. They looked hungry. Oh boy!

"What you want?" a gravelly voice demanded, making me jump.

"My name is Stephanie Plum and I'd like to speak with D'Wayne, please." What? It doesn't hurt to be polite.

"About?"

"I'm looking for information."

I heard the snort before the intercom clicked off. I really wasn't even sure he'd be willing to talk to me, and I was a little surprised when the front door opened and two armed guys came out. One of them called off the dogs. They sat in a row, eyes trained on me, muscles quivering, ready to pounce. The other guy came over to the gate, looking me up and down.

"You dressed?" he looked me in the eye.

"Yep," I nodded. "Be stupid to come down here naked." I pointed to where I'd put my gun.

He nodded at me and swung the gate open. Goon Number 1 kept me covered with a semi-automatic while Goon Number 2 did a very professional pat down, taking my gun and slipping it into his own pocket. All business, they escorted me inside. So far, so good.

As far as I could see, D. had 'merchandise' out the wazoo, stacked in every inch of the building. All kinds of TVs, big ticket electronics, guns, bigger guns, and something that looked like a cannon lined the walls. I was walked through the building and into what looked like a big man cave. Leather sofas, the largest flat screen TV I'd ever seen, a huge sound system, stacks of video game systems, CDs and every electronic toy and gadget on the planet were strewn all over the place. D. treated himself real well.

"Wait here," the goon ordered and walked out, closing the door behind him.

After a few minutes, D'Wayne sauntered into the room with his goons right behind him. Wearing a backwards ball cap, oversized jersey, pants hanging off his ass, untied shoes, and enough bling to put Tiffany's to shame, he looked more like a TV version of a street thug/rapper than the Donald Trump of Stark Street that he claimed to be.

"What kinda info-mation you lookin' fo', sweet thang?" he asked, as he walked a circle around me, chewing on what looked like a solid gold toothpick.

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. Just because he looked ridiculous didn't mean he wasn't as dangerous as everybody said he was. "I'm trying to find out who bought a couple of guns that you sold." Judge Judy says that if you tell the truth you don't need a good memory to remember the lies. We'd see if it was good advice.

"How you know I sold 'em?" he eyed me suspiciously.

"The guns were part of a collection, and the cops know you sold some of the other pieces. You got picked up a couple of times for it too."

He grinned at me, showing off a small fortune in gold and diamond dental work. "You tryin' to steal my clients?"

"No, I'm not in …uh, sales." I shook my head.

"Well, a man in mah biz-nis gotta keep his customers con-fi-dential." He looked me over again. "You not a cop. Wha' you wanna know fo'?" I guess I'd peaked his curiosity.

"I was just trying to help out a friend, that's all." I tried to look harmless.

"Wouldn't want nobody thinkin' I was rattin' them out, ya know? Wouldn't be any good fo' mah health." He ran a finger down my arm. "You look healthy."

And I wanted to stay that way, too. I was starting to get a little nervous here. "You're right. I didn't think of that. My mistake."

"Well now, you hold on, Sweet Cheeks. Maybe we can deal? That kinda info-mation gotta be worth somethin' to ya." He leered at me.

Okay, time to hit the road. "I'm just gonna get going now … sorry I bothered you … thanks for your time … nice meeting you all …" and I tried to back towards the door.

"Maybe we should see what she got to trade," D. said and grinned again. Before I could react, he hooked a finger into the neckline of my shirt and looked down. "Nice."

I automatically slapped his hand. "Hey! Cut it out!" I took a step back and bumped smack into one of the goons who was standing right behind me. He clamped his hands on my shoulders, letting me know I wasn't going anywhere. This was so not good.

D. had just reached out to grab me when we heard a commotion outside and everybody looked toward the door. It sounded like an invasion. There was the squeal of brakes, the dogs started barking up a storm, then a couple of yelps, people yelling, a crash and then the door to the room was kicked in, knocking the guy who was standing behind it halfway across the room. Ranger strode in followed by Hal, Cal, and Ram, all armed to the teeth.

The goon who had his hands on my shoulders moved to grab his gun but Ram raised his weapon and just said, "Don't!" The guy froze.

"Hey!" the other goon yelled, "Where my dogs?"

Cal gave him a slow, easy smile over the sight on his weapon. "Sleeping."

Ranger nodded at D., totally ignored his goons, and turned to me, giving me a cold smile. "There you are, _my love_. I've been looking for you."

D. looked back at me. "I thought I recognized you. You're Manoso's woman." I noticed that all the street lingo disappeared.

"N…" I never got the word out of my mouth. Ranger grabbed the top of my arm and hauled me in front of him, wrapping his other arm around my waist and holding me against his chest.

"What have I told you about running around Stark Street without taking one of the men with you, _Sweetheart_?" He squeezed my arm a little tighter. "You worried me."

I glared at him over my shoulder. "Sorry," I ground out.

"You'll just have to make it up to me later," he said and nuzzled my ear. I looked at the floor so D. wouldn't see how furious I was.

But D. was too busy trying to make nice. "Why didn't you tell me who you were? We wouldn't have joked around with you like that. Would we?" he said to his men. They all shook their heads so hard you could hear their brains rattle.

"Well," Ranger said conversationally while he slid his hand up from my waist to cup my breast possessively. "You'll recognize her if you ever see her again, won't you, D.?"

I tried to pull away, but his other hand tightened on my arm again and really, there wasn't any place to go. His thumb drifted back and forth over my nipple, sending little electric jolts straight to my doodah. The son of a bitch knew exactly what he was doing to me and I didn't know if I should be pissed off or turned on. Okay, so maybe my knees turned to water and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from coming on the spot. But I wasn't going to let him know that!

"Absolutely," D. babbled. "And I will let it be known that your fine lady will be under my personal protection."

"I think that's a very wise decision," Ranger gave D. a knowing look. "We all know what happens to anyone who touches what belongs to me."

"Yeah, yeah," D. agreed. "We all have to protect what's ours."

Still holding my arm, Ranger nodded once to D. and dragged me out of the building and toward the SUVs that were at the curb.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I hissed at him.

"Saving your ass!" Ranger spat back.

I tried to pull away from him. "You're hurting me."

"Not as much as D'Wayne would have!" He gave me a shake.

I slapped at his hand. "Did you enjoy that little display in there?"

"Not as much as I'm going to enjoy this one," he snarled at me, his eyes dilated black.

He spun me around and shoved me back against the SUV, pinning me there with his weight. "They're watching," he murmured, and he bent his head to nip my shoulder a little harder than he should have. Linking his fingers with mine so that our hands were palm to palm, he stretched my arms above my head. I tried to turn my head, but still his lips fused with mine. His tongue forced its way into my mouth, stroking with the same rhythm as his hips moved against me. All my resolve disappeared and I fell into the kiss, letting myself sink into the sensations he was causing.

He hands left mine, slid down my body and found their way under my shirt to knead my breasts. My nipples strained against the lace of my bra, while his thumbs tortured me until I was breathless and my panties were ruined. His lips drifted down my throat to the sweet spot where my neck met my shoulder and he sucked the skin into his hot mouth, trying to make me lose control.

He was playing a game, I reminded myself. It was all a game and two could play. I slid my arms around him and grabbed his ass with both hands, pulling him to me and grinding my hips against him. I heard his sharp intake of breath and the almost painful groan deep in his chest. Breaking the kiss I nipped the corded tendon on the side of his neck, licking and sucking on it. A shudder went through him and I felt him stir and grow hard against me.

"You don't play fair," he said when he pulled away, as breathless as I was.

"I learned from the master," I said, catching my breath. "You're the one who taught me all about exerting pressure."

"So I did." He cupped my face with one hand and ran the pad of his thumb over my lips. "I should know better than to give information to the enemy," he whispered and touched his lips to mine. Where had I heard _that _before?

Ranger took my car keys and tossed them to Ram, then opened the door of the SUV so I could get in. I looked back at D'Wayne's building. "He wasn't really watching, was he?"

Ranger didn't say anything, just gave me his full 200 watt smile.

Son of a bitch!

TBC …

Ranger to the rescue! Do you think Ranger and Steph will be able to make peace? Will they finally have that talk? Think he'll let her off the hook and not collect on The Deal or do you think he's looking forward to that payment? And what's up with Morelli? Let me know what you think.

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. I've tried to respond to each review, but can't if you aren't a registered member of fanfiction. Just know that I appreciate each and every review and keep them all. Please keep 'em coming! I'm planning on having 'Review Whore' on my tombstone … LOL!

Stayce


	17. Misery Loves Company!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 14 books.**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for everything, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_**Love, like a river, will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle.  
**__**Crystal Middlemas**_

**Chapter 17: Misery Loves Company_!_**

I sat there fuming while Ranger stood out in the middle of the Stark Street with the Merry Men. They all looked relaxed, like they were in no big rush to get the hell out of Dodge, but I knew that they were really all on full alert. I also knew the whole reason they stood around instead of jumping in their big, shiny, black SUVs and hauling ass was a lesson taken from 'RangeMan Intimidation Tactics-101', 'Never Let 'Em See You Sweat'.

Their show of force and lack of fear sent a message to everyone who lived down there that RangeMan was badder than anything Stark Street could dish out. It worked, too. Not a light showed anywhere, no curious bystanders milled around, not a single car drove by, there wasn't a soul on the street or even peeking out a window, it was like everybody had vanished into thin air. Which they had. Nobody was dumb enough to want to tangle with Ranger and his men.

Still, the longer I sat there, clearly visible in Ranger's truck, surrounded by Ranger's men, looking like just another one of Ranger's many possessions, the more pissed off I got. All I needed was my gun, one of D'Wayne's goons had taken it, and the car keys that Ranger had snagged out of my pocket, and I was good to go. Didn't need an escort, I was gone!

I saw Ram break away from the group, walk over to my car, unlock it and take out my purse. He wore the obligatory RangeMan blank face as he came over to my side of Ranger's Cayenne and waited for me to open the window.

"Hey Steph," he grinned as he leaned down and handed me my bag. "Thanks for getting me out of the building tonight. The job's been real boring since you left," he teased.

I curled my lip at him and snarled. That only made him laugh out loud and he reached in to ruffle my hair.

"I'll be leaving your car in your parking lot. What do you want me to do with the keys?"

I guess the expression on my face gave him a clear enough, 'Shove 'em where the sun don't shine' answer, which really wasn't fair because I knew that Ram was just following orders.

"I'm sorry," I sighed and put a hand on the arm he had leaned against the door. "I'm a little frazzled tonight."

"I'll bet," he said sympathetically. "You scared the crap outta us, you know," and he gave my hand a squeeze. "That call came in and I swear to God, Ranger had us on the road in under three minutes. We didn't know what we were gonna find when we got here." Yeah, I thought. Ranger didn't want to take a chance on not being able to collect his payoff.

"Call? Who called?" The only person I told was Connie, but she knew almost everything that was going on between Ranger and me, so I really didn't think that she'd rat me out to him.

"Could've been anybody, Steph. You know that Ranger has weasels all over the place, especially down here." He jerked is head toward D'Wayne's place. "What the hell were you doing in there, anyway?"

I blew out another sigh, "I was trying to trace the gun that killed Abruzzi. I'm pretty sure D'Wayne sold it and I thought that maybe I could convince him to tell me who bought it." As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized how dumb the idea sounded. I looked up at him and shrugged. "Look, I was just trying to clear Joe," and I slumped back in my seat to sulk.

"Wait a minute," Ram eyed me suspiciously. "I thought the cop hired Ranger to do that."

I kind of squirmed in my seat and looked over at Ranger, talking on his cell. "Yeah, well, there's … um … kind of a price tag attached to that."

Ram cocked an eyebrow at me. "Do I want to know what that price is?"

I just shook my head and chewed my lip. "Probably not."

Ram was silent for a minute, watching Ranger snap his phone shut and give the guys final instructions before heading toward the Cayenne. "If you decide to go 'investigating' again, give me a call," he said quickly. "You need somebody to watch your back and I don't mind riding shotgun for a girl. Plus, I know how to keep my mouth shut." He shot me a wink, nodded to Ranger as they passed each other, then got into my car and started the engine.

Ranger, the jerk, still wore that smug smirk of his when he climbed into the Cayenne. I so wanted to wipe it off his face! My palms just itched to smack him. But he did go out of his way to get me away from D'Wayne, even if he did take advantage of the situation. My big mistake was thinking that I should cut him some slack.

And I did, until he wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, pulled me over, and kissed me long and hard. He held me tightly enough that I couldn't get away from his mouth, so I dug my nails into his wrist. The bastard didn't even flinch.

I was breathless when he finally broke the kiss, but from fury, not lust ... this time. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Putting on a show for the locals," he nuzzled the side of my neck.

"I thought we established that nobody was watching," I hissed and shoved at him as hard as I could, for all the good that did.

"Oh, they're watching, all right." His eyes went to all the dark windows in the buildings surrounding us. "They're watching," and he kissed me again. This time I sank my teeth into his lip until I tasted blood.

When he pulled back his glittering black eyes were hooded and his voice thick. "You know I love it when you play rough, Stephanie." He ran his tongue over his bloody lip and moved in to kiss me again.

I dodged him, pissed to the point that I fisted my hands, squinched my eyes shut and let out a scream. The louse was mocking me! I shifted as far away from him as I could get, folded my arms and leaned against the passenger door, staring out the window so I wouldn't be tempted to follow that impulse and clock him one. The bastard just threw back his head and laughed. He was so lucky I didn't have my gun!

At Ranger's signal our little motorcade roared off with a screech of tires, another show of force for Stark Street's benefit, living proof that Ranger owned Trenton, mean streets and all, the big show off, and we sped out of the area, leaving Stark Street behind. One SUV eventually peeled away toward Haywood and a little while later Ram and the other SUV turned off toward my apartment. We went in the opposite direction. I glanced at Ranger, trying to figure out what he was up to.

"Pardon me for disturbing your 'driving zone'," I snarked, making little air quotes, "but I live _that way_!" I pointed behind us.

Ranger didn't even bother to look at me. "So?" he said and just kept driving.

I knew that Ranger didn't like to talk when he was driving, but dammit, he was gonna talk to me! "_So_ where are we going?" I demanded.

He was silent for so long, I didn't think he was going to answer. "To talk."

"Hey!" I rounded on him. "What happened to me calling you when I was ready to chat?" I was sick of him ordering me around.

"Changed my mind," Mr. Verbal Vomit shrugged. You know, his 'man of few words' routine was _really_ annoying.

_He _changed _his_ mind? Oh I don't _think_ so! If he wasn't gonna tell me about his plans, I sure as hell wasn't gonna tell him about mine! My days of blind obedience were long gone. By now we were in the middle of Trenton, surrounded by traffic and he had to stop for a light.

I decided it was my turn to take advantage of a situation. I could make my escape. I'd hop out, grab a cab, and head to my parents' house. He wouldn't mess with me there. I waited for the light to turn green and before traffic could move, I popped my seatbelt, opened the door and tried to bail.

Needless to say, I didn't even get my foot out of the Cayenne. It was like he read my mind. Ranger's hand shot out and he grabbed me by the back of the shirt, pulling me away from the door. He hauled me over the console, wrapped his arm around my waist and clamped me to his side, all so fast I didn't even have time to squeak.

"Let go of me you big ape!" I tried to pry his arm off, to no avail, of course. I mean, who was I kidding; there was no way he was letting me go until he was good and ready.

Ranger cut across traffic and pulled over to the curb He plopped me back in my seat and pointed a finger in my face, "Try that again and I'll cuff you to the sissy bar!"

"You wouldn't dare!" I raged, slapping at the hand that still held my arm.

"Don't tempt me!" He gave me a shake for emphasis. "Stop acting like a child."

I shoved against him. "Ow! You're just a bully! Let go ... you're hurting me." He was pulling and I was pushing so that when he let me go I flew back and slammed against the passenger door. I lifted my shirt sleeve, looked at the red marks that we both knew would leave bruises, and glared at him. "Who the hell you think you are?"

"I _think_ I'm the guy who just saved your ass, Stephanie. Now stay!" he ordered.

Stay?! I was so mad I was sputtering. What did he think I was, a trained poodle? "And just who asked you to come riding to the rescue, huh? Since when are you my keeper?"

"Since you tuned this into a competition to clear Morelli. Do you really think I don't know what you're doing? How your mind works? You're so blinded by seeing me as the enemy that you put yourself in harm's way, just so you could win."

"I didn't make you the enemy, Ranger. _You_ did," I shot back at him. "The minute you named me as your price!"

He blew out a deep breath, his emotions back under control. "Maybe so," he said, calm now. "I understand that you aren't very happy with me, but believe me, the feeling is mutual. Like it or not, we're going to talk this out and come to some kind of understanding so that nothing like your little solo excursion to Stark Street ever happens again!"

I gave him my best Burg death glare, for all the good it did. Ranger was immune to them. "Fine!" I shot back. "Talk!" He could talk; I just didn't have to listen.

"Not here."

"Where then?"

"You'll see." The SOB was at it again! He wants competition? I'll show him competition. The little seatbelt alarm was dinging and I purposely didn't buckle it. It was like a stand-off. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and stared out the windshield; I folded my hands in my lap and looked out the passenger window.

Normally, the dinging would have driven me nuts but I mentally ran through the times tables to distract myself. I was up to the eights before Ranger growled and reached over me for the belt. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. Was I being juvenile? Childish? Immature? Yes, yes, and yes. But he broke first, so I won. Ha!

He pulled out into traffic and silence descended on the Cayenne. He settled into his zone and neither one of us said another word. He did turn on the radio, but to a classical station, probably just to irritate me. We left the city, hit 195 and headed down the Shore. An hour later we pulled into the parking lot of a seafood restaurant on the Shark River marina in Belmar.

Ranger came around the car to open my door. "Why here?" I asked. He wasn't the only one who could do two word sentences.

"Good food," was all he said.

I gave a frustrated sigh and looked around as we walked to the front door. Probably he picked Belmar because he knew I couldn't walk home from there.

The restaurant was right on the water with a floating dock for people who wanted to come by boat. Fishing boats and pleasure craft of all sizes were moored along the marina docks and running lights twinkled on big sailboats riding at anchor out in the river. A few determined seagulls and pelicans were perched on the pilings hoping for hand outs from the diners who sat at tables on the covered patio. Fat candles in glass hurricanes globes glittered, making the whole place glow. It was the perfect setting for a romantic dinner, not the knock down, drag out fight we were probably going to have. What a waste!

My stomach was still churning with anger as we were shown to a table outside, and I didn't think I could even swallow much less eat anything. Ranger ordered a bottle of wine. I'll bet he thought I'd be easier to deal with if I was drunk. That was SO not gonna happen.

The waiter brought a basket of hot, fragrant rolls while we looked at the menus. Okay, so maybe I could eat after all. We made our choices and Ranger broke a roll in half and buttered it.

"Do you want to start, or should I?" he asked as he put the roll on my plate.

I just looked at it, sitting there dripping with butter. The son of a bitch was buttering me up … _literally_, but I wasn't going to fall for it. No way! Not me! "You're the one who wants to talk," I sniped. "Be my guest." My sarcastic tone made his lips twitch a little.

"I'd like to negotiate a truce," he held up his hand when I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Just hear me out. I propose that we join forces, just until we can clear Morelli," he gave me his half smile, "and then hostilities can resume again."

I clenched my teeth and just stared down at the roll that was calling my name. Ranger thought he was so slick. Didn't the louse think I'd catch on that this was just his way of keeping tabs on me, of trying to control me?

"And I should want to do this … why, exactly?" I lost my internal battle with the buttered roll and took a bite.

"Well, for one thing, it would get Morelli out of jail faster," he said with a shrug. I just made a face. Like I cared at this point.

"And get me into your bed faster?" I said a little more bitterly than I intended.

He inclined his head, "That, too." He buttered the other half of the roll and handed it to me. "Look, I know that my deal with Morelli is a bone of contention between us, so let's leave that out of the equation for now and just try to find a way that we can work together. Since we're each approaching this from different angles, maybe if we put our heads together, we can help each other out."

"To be honest with you, I really don't see any advantage to working with you," I told him. "No matter what, once Joe's released, I'm the one who has to pay up. So what difference does it make?"

He chewed on that for a minute. "Okay, tell you what. You're working the evidence, I'm working the killer. We agree to work both angles together, really give them our best shot … no games, no secrets, no funny stuff. If finding the killer gets Morelli off, you pay up. If the evidence does, you're off the hook. We each have a 50/50 chance of winning. What do you say?"

I was just about to shoot him down when the proverbial light bulb lit over my head … this could work both ways. This partnership would let me keep an eye on _him_, too. I'd be able to look over _his _shoulder. Maybe I could even find out something that would give me an advantage. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. It wasn't the best deal in the world, but it would at least give me a chance to get out of paying yet another tab for Mr. Morelli, the rat bastard.

I huffed out a sigh. "Okay, wait a minute," I said. I'm just a little confused here. Yeah, I'm trying to prove that the evidence against Joe isn't any good. But exactly how do _you_ plan on proving Joe didn't kill Abruzzi?"

"By finding whoever _did _kill him." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I shook my head to clear it. What? I looked around to see if anyone was close enough to hear, then leaned across the table. "Hellooo!" I whispered. "Wouldn't that be _you_? You plan on apprehending yourself?"

Ranger leaned toward me and lowered his voice, "Stephanie, you know that I've been cleared of any involvement in Abruzzi's death."

I made a pissy face. "I'm not buying that, Ranger. Everybody in Trenton knows you did it." I mean, come on, did he think I was stupid?

He studied me for a minute, then blew out a long breath through his nose ... as close to sighing as Ranger got. "At the time, it served my purpose to let people think that I was the killer. It added to my street cred, put fear into a certain criminal element, and made a lot of people have second thoughts about messing with me. When Hector and I finally found him in the Farmers' Market parking lot, Abruzzi was already dead."

I think I heard my jaw hit the table. "Wait!" I held up a finger. "Let me … let me get this straight!" I was having a tough time wrapping my head around this new information. "Are you saying that you've been _lying_ to me all this time?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

"No. I've never lied to you, Stephanie. We've never talked about it. If you had asked, I would have told you that I didn't kill him. But like everybody else, you just assumed that I had." He sounded so reasonable.

I could feel my cheeks flame and I really thought my head was going to explode. "So this is MY fault?" I spat at him.

"No, there's n…"

I cut him off. "You let me go on thinking that you were guilty, that's the same as a lie!" I know it didn't make any sense, but I was furious that he hadn't killed Abruzzi for me. I took a couple of deep breaths to try to calm myself, but I couldn't stop shaking. When Ranger reached across the table to take my hand, I think I growled at him and snatched it away.

"I tried to confess to a murder to protect you two!" I ground out, my voice cracking. "I was willing to spend the rest of my life in jail for you. Joe didn't deserve to take the fall for something he didn't do. But you, you were the one I wouldn't sacrifice, not even for Joe."

I hated it that I cried when I got mad, I was SO notgoing to cry in front of him. I grabbed my purse and jumped up from the table. I wasn't sure where I was going to go; I just knew that I needed to be away from him. Maybe I'd go inside to the ladies' room until I could regroup and decide if I was going to puke or not.

Ranger stood up, blocking my way. I tried to get around him but he took me by my upper arms and pulled me against his chest. I struggled to get away, but he clamped his arms around me and pressed his cheek against mine, holding me there. I guess we looked like lovers to the other diners. We just stood there, with him holding me and rocking me gently.

Finally he whispered, "I hunted him down like some rabid animal, Stephanie." He touched the scar where Abruzzi had burned me. "I was going to kill him because he hurt you." He tipped my chin up and our eyes locked. "I guess I wasn't the only one who wanted him dead. Abruzzi was a maniac and had a lot of enemies. One of them got to him before I did. But If I had found him first …" He didn't have to say anything else, I could see the ferocity in his eyes and I knew he would have made Abruzzi suffer.

Coming from Ranger, it was like a declaration of love. Tears welled in my eyes and Ranger tightened his grip on me, his hand rubbing soothingly up and down my back. I could feel the tension drain out of me and I realized how tired I was of fighting … fighting with him, fighting to convince myself and everybody around me that I was okay with being dumped and homeless and broke, fighting to start from scratch again, fighting to learn to be alone. I didn't have the energy to fight anymore. I just had to let it go.

I leaned against him, my head on his shoulder, my arms around his waist, and just held on. He must have known what I was feeling because he pressed his lips to my forehead. "We'll work it out, Steph," he murmured. "I promise, it'll all work out." Just for that minute, I let myself believe it. And although I'd never tell him so, I finally admitted to myself that I'd missed him so much my heart ached with it.

I sank slowly back into my chair and after a few long seconds, picked up my wine glass and drained it. I had to swallow a couple of times to make sure it stayed down, then I held my glass out for a refill.

Ranger took my glass, but handed me my water instead. "Here, stick with this until after you get some food in your stomach." No way in hell could I eat anything.

As if on cue, the waiter brought the appetizer Ranger had ordered, a huge bowl of mussels swimming in garlic butter, and a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the juice. The smell of the garlic made stomach rumble and my mouth water, after the first experimental bite, I dug in with gusto. So much for not eating.

Ranger sat back in his chair and watched me polish off the bread and garlic butter. "We won't need to worry about a truce, that stuff'll kill you," he said with a grin.

I wrinkled my nose at him and popped the last bite of bread in my mouth.

"So, do we have a partnership?" he asked, watching me over the rim of his wine glass.

I chewed on my lip for a minute. "One question first," I told him. "And I need an honest answer. I mean it, Ranger. I need the absolute truth, no hedging." As much as I didn't _want_ to know the answer, I _needed_ to know the answer.

Something that looked a lot like pain flashed across his face. I guess it finally hit him that I didn't trust him the way I used to. I guess I realized that too and all I felt was sad. "I can only give you my word, is that good enough?"

It was my turn to give him a single nod. I looked down into my glass of liquid courage and took a big sip. "Was Joe kicking me to the curb and throwing me out of the house and closing the bank accounts and refusing to see me … was that part of your Deal?" The words tumbled out of my mouth.

He didn't hesitate for a second. "No! I would never do that to you." He took a breath, as if he were deciding whether or not to tell me something. "The fact is, Morelli set the conditions." I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. "There's to be no mention you at all outside the confines of the case. I can't give him any personal information about you, no messages from you, nothing."

For the longest time I just stared at the boats out in the river, watching the lights play on the water. "Are you ever gonna tell me why you made the deal with Morelli?" I flicked my eyes to his face.

"Someday …" he said softly, a smile in his eyes. The waiter chose that moment to bring our entrees, so I guess I'll never know if Ranger was going to say anything else.

When we got back to the car, I leaned against the hood and assumed the official RangeMan position of arms folded over chest and ankles crossed. "Okay, I've thought it over and I'll agree to a cease fire. _BUT_, I want to make it perfectly clear that this is a truce … not a surrender, and we're going to need some kind of ground rules."

'What did you have in mind?" Ranger eyed me suspiciously.

I ticked my rules off on my fingers. "We're equal partners and share all the information and contacts. Either one of us cheats, and all bets are off. This will be a strictly platonic, working relationship. There will be no trips to the alley, no flirting, no innuendos. We'll have the same kind of relationship you have with Tank." He nodded at each condition except the last.

"Does that mean if you piss me off you'll meet me on the mat in the gym at 6am?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Only if you expect to find me sound asleep," I snorted in reply and we both laughed. It felt really good to laugh again.

I held out my hand and he shook it. "You've got yourself a deal," I told him, then I smiled, "or should I say, _another_ deal." If I played my cards right, it would turn out to be his _only_ deal, too.

The lights were on in my apartment when we got back, and my mother's car was in the parking lot. I told Ranger that he didn't have to come upstairs to check the place out. After running down the guy in the rabbit suit, I had no doubt that my mother could take down any bad guy dumb enough to show up in my apartment. She'd probably Pledge him to death. Ranger just grinned and came upstairs anyway.

We stood in the empty living room and Mom called out from the bedroom, "I'm in here Stephanie. Your father brought over an air mattress and I … Oh," she stopped short when she walked into the room and saw Ranger.

"Mr. Manoso," her eyes flicked to me and then back to Ranger. "How nice to see you again." She came across the room and held out her hand.

"Mrs. Plum," Ranger stepped forward to shake it. "Please call me Ranger, or Carlos, if you prefer," he said, giving my mother a full 200 watt smile.

Her hand fluttered up to her throat and her cheeks turned pink. It was nice to see that even she wasn't immune to him when he turned on the charm. "Carlos, is that what your mother calls you?"

"My mother calls me Carlito," he said. I didn't think it was possible, but he actually looked a little embarrassed to me.

Well I'll be go to hell! In less than thirty seconds my mother was able to get him to share a piece of personal information about himself. I was in awe of the woman's capabilities.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, you're always your mother's child," my mother was saying. "Stephanie calls you Ranger, I will too, if that's all right."

She cleared her throat, and turned to me. "We brought you that little dresser that was up in the attic. It's not much, but it should do for now. Your father put the spare TV on top of it.

"Thanks Mom, it'll be fine. I've got a bed and a TV and electricity," I hugged her, "that's a lot more than I had last night. I'll hit the Salvation Army and a couple of thrift stores tomorrow to see if I can find something to sit on."

She sighed and looked at me. "I suppose I should tell you before you hear it through the grapevine, but your father and Sal Gubitosa went over to, ah, to Joe's house to get Aunt Tootie's coffee table and Grandma Mazur's dining set for you … just so you'd have some furniture. Anthony was there and he wouldn't even let them in. He had the nerve to demand proof that you owned those things. He said he wanted to make sure that your father wasn't trying to steal from Joseph." She turned to Ranger, "I've never seen my husband so angry. It's a good thing that Sal was with him or I don't know what he might have done to Anthony."

"That louse! I should have broken something a lot more important to him than his nose when I had the chance," I grumbled.

"Stephanie!" My mother gasped. "What kind of a girl will Ranger think you are if he hears you talk like that?"

I swear Ranger smirked and turned away so that my mother couldn't see. He knew exactly what kind of girl I really was. Good thing my mother didn't.

When she went back into the bedroom to finish up whatever she'd been doing, I sidled over to Ranger. "You better watch out, my mother will be looking for a replacement for Morelli, you know." I tapped him on the chest, "You could be a contender." His eyes widened microscopically. Ranger shock. "If she invites you to dinner, you're doomed!" I chuckled and stuck my hands in my pockets and rocked back on my heels. This was fun!

Mom came out of the bedroom with her jacket and purse. Ranger took the jacket and helped her into it.

"I'm so glad that I got to see you again, Mr. Ma… Ranger. I hope that Stephanie will bring you to dinner some time soon." Ranger shot his eyes to me and I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"Thank you Mrs. Plum, I'd like that very much." Ranger charm had backfired.

"Oh, I have the perfect menu, too," I piped up evilly. "Fried chicken, mashed potatoes with lots of butter and cream, glazed carrots … all that sugar, yum. Oh, and for dessert … Death By Chocolate!" I smiled happily at Ranger. "A mountain of chocolate brownies with whipped cream and chocolate pudding and Heath Bar crunchies …"

I sighed in bliss. I swear, Ranger blanched. I stuck my tongue out at him behind my mother's back and he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Oh no dear," my mother said thoughtfully, "Ranger strikes me as more of a salad, baked chicken and wild rice, steamed broccoli, fruit for dessert kind of man."

Ranger grinned, "Sounds delicious!" he said, relief in his voice, and I made a pissy face. He didn't realize it, but my mother was sucking up to him. Morelli never got special dinners.

"Good night, dear," Mom said and kissed me on the cheek when I walked her to the door.

"If you'll give me a minute, I'll walk you to your car," Ranger said to my mother. She nodded and took out her cell phone, telling him she had a call to make first anyway, then she walked down the hall with a huge grin on her face.

"Ready to start this tomorrow?" Ranger asked, his forearms braced against the door frame.

I leaned a hip against the foyer wall. "Yep. Sure thing. I have to help Lula with her vampire skip first thing in the morning, but other than finding some furniture, I've got nothing."

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Vampire skip?"

"Yeah. Can you believe the luck? And it's not even Halloween."

"Uh-hunh." He looked a little skeptical. "Would you like some help with him?"

"Nah! I'm pretty sure Lula stocked up on all the necessary equipment. You know, garlic, crosses, wooden stakes, holy water."

Ranger chuckled and shook his head. "Well, if you change your mind, just call me, okay?"

"Will do." We just kind of stood there and looked at each other like two kids on a first date who didn't know if they should kiss or not. I know we'd set ground rules, but still …

"You'll probably want this," and he pulled my gun out of the back of his waistband. "No silver bullets, though."

"Thanks, I wondered who had it." It was all nice and warm from his body heat.

"Okay, night." He pushed off the doorway.

"Night. Um …" I pointed to my own lower lip, than at his. "Sorry about the lip."

He touched his finger to where I had bitten him and grinned, "You could kiss it and make it better."

I shook my head, "Be careful going home, Ranger." I smiled and give him a little finger wave.

"Sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow."

He turned away, starting down the hall to where my mother was standing by the elevator, still on the phone. He stopped after a couple of steps and came back.

He stood in front of me for a second, hands on hips, head down. "I should have told you the truth about Abruzzi," he said softly and gave me a rueful smile. "I guess I liked the idea of being your hero."

He reached out and touched my cheek, then started down the hall again.

"Ranger," I called after him as he got on the elevator. "For what it's worth … you were always my hero."

As the elevator doors slid closed, I read his lips. "Babe," and he smiled at me.

My heart turned over and I smiled, too.

He called me 'Babe!'

_**TBC …**_

_**A/N: Okay, this is short and sweet this time, and no cliffie in honor of the release of FLF! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, I hope I didn't miss replying to anyone except those who aren't registered on . I have no way of getting in touch with you, so thank you for reading and reviewing.**_

_**So, do you think that Ranger and Stephanie's cease fire/truce will hold up, or will they be at one another's throats again? Do you think that they'll be able to prove Joe's innocence and get him out of jail? And what will happen if they do? Will Ranger collect? Or will Steph win? Will Joe and Steph kiss and make up? Or not? **_

_**Let me know what you think…**_

_**Stayce**_


	18. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 14 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse, Editor on Vacation …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for everything, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_**Romantic love reaches out in little ways, showing attention and admiration. **_

_**Romantic love remembers what pleases a woman, what excites her, and what surprises her. **_

_**Its actions whisper: you are the most special person in my life.  
**__**Charles Stanley**_

_**A/N:**__** Read at your own risk! This is unedited so I apologize in advance for any and all errors which are no one's fault but my own! Sorry folks!**_

_**Chapter 18:**__** I'm Gonna Make You Love Me!**_

I stood at the bedroom window and watched Ranger escort my mother to her car, his hand at the small of her back. Old fashioned chivalry was _not_ dead and although he didn't know it, he'd sealed his own fate with that one little gesture… my mother was hooked! Even from up here I could see that she was glassy eyed, giving him her rapt attention. He chatted with her for a minute or two and waited while she threw me a wave, then closed the car door for her, and watched while she drove off.

It was really funny, only all things considered, I didn't know if it was more ha-ha funny or ironic funny. I knew that Ranger thought I was joking when I told him that my mom would be looking to replace Morelli on her 'Trenton's Most Eligible Bachelor' list, but I was dead serious. The minute he made the fatal error of turning on the charm, he was a dead duck. I could see my mother mentally crossing Morelli off that list and penciling Ranger in. I tried to warn him, but would he listen? Nope, not Mr. Know It All. Well, he asked for it and, oh boy, was he gonna get it!

I was willing to bet big bucks that my mother would be booting up her laptop and hitting the Food Network website for sugar free-low fat recipes the minute she got home. I knew Ranger had read Sun Tzu's _The Art of War_, but Sun had nothing on Ellen Plum. Burg women were genetically predisposed to matchmaking and every man they met was marriage material. Now that she had her sites set on Ranger, he wouldn't know what hit him. The fact that Ranger didn't do relationships would be lost on my Mom, it simply wouldn't compute. But that would be Ranger's problem and I wasn't going to worry about it. All I was going to do was sit back and enjoy the show.

Ranger crossed the parking lot to the Cayenne and beeped it open. Leaning one arm on top of the car and the other on top of the open door, he must have stood there for a full minute, looking up at me, his lips just tipping up a little. I leaned against the window frame and looked back, giving him my version of his almost smile. Finally, he shook his head and folded himself into the vehicle. When I raised my hand, giving him a little wave, he flashed the headlights in response, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed toward Haywood.

I'd really love to have known what he'd been thinking when he was standing out there, looking up at me. Probably he'd been congratulating himself that he'd pulled a fast one on me with all that truce crap. Actually, I'd kiss Vinnie on the mouth before I let Ranger know how glad I was that he'd been the one to call the cease fire. One of us had to, and I was stoked that I'd been able to hold out and he was the one who broke first and called the time out.

Ranger had it right when he said that this was a competition, because it was. It was me against him and a break from the hostilities would let me focus on what I needed to get done to win this little contest … proving that the evidence against Joe had been manufactured, and then planted to frame him. Friendly relations with Ranger or not, I wasn't giving up on my plan to clear Joe all by myself so that I'd have the pleasure of telling both guys to go pound salt.

But as happy as I was about the peace treaty, the working together part, not so much. Like every guy I'd ever met, okay, so maybe not Albert Kloughn, but every _other_ guy, Ranger thought he was smarter than me and in a lot of ways I was sure he was. But no matter how smart he was, he couldn't fool me and I knew exactly what he was up to. He thought I'd bought his whole spiel about the benefits of us working together and how it would give me a chance to get out of paying his 'price'. Only thing is, I didn't buy it for a second.

Ranger liked to be in control of everything and everybody. That's what this whole truce thing was about, Ranger being in control … of me! If we were working together, he'd always know what I was doing, where I was going, who I was talking to, and what I found out. There'd be no way I could keep any secrets from him and that's what he was counting on. Of course, good old Slick Willy Ranger didn't think I'd figure this out and two can play at the same game! Guess Ranger wasn't as smart as he thought he was, huh?

I'd have to stay on my toes and make sure that he wasn't able to keep any secrets from me, either! Of course, I wasn't above using any of the information that Ranger dug up to _my _advantage! Was that sneaky? Dishonest? Oh, you betcha. Would it bother me at all? Hell no! Because if I knew Ranger, and believe me, I did, he'd be doing the exact same thing! Like I said, this was a competition and Ranger didn't like to lose. Ranger was an opportunist and wasn't above employing sneaky tactics to win. But guess what? Neither was I!

And I'll admit it, even though fighting with Ranger had been distracting and took a lot of time and energy, I really had great time letting it rip and telling him what I really thought of him, being able to vent a little. I was sick and tired of being pushed around and having to deal with the humongous egos of the men in my life. God knows I wasn't afraid to stand up for myself; after all, I was a Jersey Girl, wasn't I? But it just wasn't fun anymore andwhat I needed was a little 'normal' for a change. Well, as normal as my life ever got, that is. I mean, how normal was it for me to be going after a vampire skip? Never mind. Don't answer that!

Considering I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, add my little trip to Stark Street, throw in the jaunt down the Shore for good measure and it had been one hell of a long day. I was more than ready for it to be over. I pulled down the sun-blocking window shades that my dad had installed in the bedroom, and stripped on the spot. My mom had made up the air mattress like a real bed, with sheets and blankets and pillows and it was calling my name. After spending last night on the floor, I was in heaven. I set the alarm, bless her heart, my Mom thought of everything, and crawled into that bed. I sighed in absolute pleasure and in ten seconds, I was out like a light.

I dreamed that I was sprawled out in Ranger's big bed and I could feel him lying next to me. As the night went on, he wrapped his arms around me, then threw his leg over mine, holding me tighter and tighter. Eventually my face was pressed into his chest so hard that I couldn't breathe and I tried, but I couldn't get free.

I struggled awake when the alarm went off, and it only took a couple of seconds for me to realize that I was sleeping on the floor again … dammit! No Ranger, no million thread-count sheets. The air mattress had sprung a leak and it was wrapped around me like I was a hot dog in a bun! No wonder I couldn't breathe.

By the time I fought my way out of my mattress cocoon I was sweating bullets and cursing a blue streak. Hauling my ass up off the floor, _again_, I gave the limp tangle of mattress and sheets a good swift kick. And don't worry, the deep psychological meaning of my dream hadn't escaped me. Being wrapped up in Ranger should have made me feel warm and sexy. Instead, I felt overpowered and smothered. Very telling, don't you think?

I stomped off to get ready to apprehend Lula's vampire. Thirty minutes later I was showered, shaved, and pulling on a long sleeved, turtleneck shirt. No sense in tempting fate, just in case this guy really was a neck nibbler. I loaded up my cuffs, checked to make sure my stun gun was fully charged, I even took my gun out of my cookie jar, bullets and all!

I made a quick stop at Tasty Pastry for coffee and donuts. I'd need the fat and sugar to get me through the Trenton Inquisition I was gonna face at the office. I was pretty sure that the whole Burg already knew that Ranger had taken me to dinner in Belmar last night, and if the Burg knew, Connie and Lula knew, God help me. If I didn't give them extra little tid-bits to spread around, there'd be hell to pay.

I'll bet my mother had been in her glory, getting to _make _all those phone calls instead of receiving them, for a change. After all the humiliating gossip about the crap Morelli had pulled on me, and the nasty rumors his family had started, my dinner with Ranger gave Mom well deserved bragging rights and she was gonna take full advantage of them.

I mean, let's face it, he may not have been Burg, but Ranger was officially a catch. He'd lost his anonymity during the Scrog mess when the story was splashed all over the papers, and the Man of Mystery was a mystery no more, at least to the public. Now everybody knew that he was a successful businessman, owner of RangeMan, had a fleet of expensive black cars, and lived in a penthouse. I'll bet he just LOVED that. Yup, Ranger was a catch, all right and these days, Morelli rated about as high as something smelly that you stepped in at the dog park.

When I pulled up in front of the office, Lula had her face smooshed against the big glass window watching for me. She hustled over and threw the door open, waving me inside. "Hurry up and get your skinny white ass in here! You gotta tell us all about your date with Batman!"

I didn't even try to explain that it wasn't a date, more like a kidnapping. That little detail would be lost on Lula and Connie who'd think it was thrilling and romantic.

Connie stood up from her desk and pulled a couple of chairs over to it. "How long were you gonna make us wait for the details?" she demanded as I walked into the office. "Have a heart! We're on pins and needles, Steph! I've been fielding phone calls here and didn't have anything juicy to tell anybody!"

Great! Just what I needed … a press agent! I put the coffee and donuts on the desk between us, hoping it would distract them, but no dice! Once we divied it all up and started snarfing it down, Connie and Lula arranged themselves on one side of the desk, chins braced in hands, and waited for me to spill my guts.

I'd watched enough politicians and celebrities give press conferences, so I had a pretty good idea of how to handle these two investigative reporters. I made an opening statement, giving them a rundown on last night's activities, heavy on the menu and the scenery, very light on the conversation, and then I took questions.

"Natalie Gamboli told me that you and Ranger spent the night in Belmar. True?" Connie asked.

I rolled my eyes at her. "NO! Yeesh, gimme a break! We had dinner and then came right back to Trenton. No hanky-panky!"

"Just asking!" Connie said defensively.

"Just hoping, you mean," I retorted.

"Well, true," Connie giggled. "If it can't be me, it might as well be you!" she said. Lula hooted and they high-fived each other. You know you have great girlfriends when they're pulling for you to get laid!

"So you and Batman ain't fussin' an' fightin' no more?" Lula asked after she calmed down.

"Nope. Not for the time being, at any rate. We called a truce and we're gonna work together. I'll be trying to pick apart the evidence the DA plans to present at Joe's trial, and Ranger'll be investigating the people who had a motive to kill Abruzzi. Hopefully, between the two of us, we can come up with something to clear Joe."

"Riiiight!" Connie scoffed. "I know Joe hired Ranger, but _you _want to do this … why, exactly?" She folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, skepticism written all over her face.

Good question. "Okay, so maybe I want to kick Joe in the balls or beat him to a bloody pulp for the way he treated me, but still and all, I know he didn't kill Abruzzi. I can't just sit by and do nothing, I couldn't live with myself."

"Bleeding heart!" Lula muttered under her breath.

Connie snorted. "You've always had a soft spot for Morelli. Look at all the shit he's pulled on you over the years and you never called him on any of it. He can't be that good in bed!" She shook her head as a thought struck her. "Please don't tell me you're gonna let him get away with this too!"

"Hey, wait just a damn minute!" Lula sat up bolt upright in her chair. "You ain't thinkin' about getting' back with that dirt bag, are you? After the way he treated you? Girl, I will kick your ass around the block!" I was a little surprised at Lula's reaction.

I blew out a deep breath. I'd worked really hard not to examine my feelings on the subject of Joe just yet, and I didn't know how to answer Lula. "I'm not thinking anything at this point, Lula. But I really want to find out what happened, why he kicked me to the curb like that. There had to be a reason. I need to know what that was all about." I did a palms up, shoulder shrug sort of thing.

Lula harrumphed, "I guess I can understand layin' the past to rest before you can move on to the future, but don't you go givin' him another chance. That cat already used up all his nine lives!"

"No shit!" Connie confirmed.

"Ya know," Lula said, "I still can't figure out why Ranger'd agree to help Joe out. I mean, how much could Joe afford to pay him? What's he got that Ranger would want?" She sat chewing on her donut and I could practically see the gears turning and the light bulb go on over her head. Her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open, and she turned very slowly to look at me. Shit! "Heeeeeey …" she started, looking over at Connie and pointing her donut at me.

"Yeah," Connie looked at me, thinking hard. "What exactly is Joe _paying_ Ranger anyway? Or should I say, _'Who'_?" Connie gave a slow, satisfied smile. Her eyes slid to Lula and they nodded at each other. Uh-oh.

Even if they guessed the truth, there was no way in hell I was gonna tell those two about The Deal between Ranger and Joe. I didn't even want to _think _about what would happen if they found out! They'd hound me to death and I'd have to change my name and move to Bolivia just to get away from them!

"Whoa, wait a minute," I chimed in. "Let's not go jumping to any conclusions here. All I know is that Joe called Ranger from prison and hired him to try and find out who really killed Abruzzi. Nobody told me what their arrangement is. But after everything that's happened, do you really think I'd be dumb enough to pick up any more tabs for Morelli?" I stood in front of them with my fists planted firmly on my hips.

"Okay, okay!" Lula slumped back in her seat, clearly disappointed. "But I still want to know how Morelli's gonna pay Ranger."

"As soon as you find out, you're gonna tell us, right?" Connie demanded. "RIGHT?"

I shot her a snotty salute. "Aye, aye, Captain!"

"Sorry," Connie gave a shrug. "Personally, I always secretly thought that Ranger killed Abruzzi to protect you," she said with a sigh.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Oh please!" I couldn't let them know that I had thought the exact same thing myself.

"I think you been readin' too many romance novels, Connie," Lula quipped, licking donut icing off her fingers.

"Maybe, but it _is_ kind of a romantic, and it strikes me as the kind of thing Ranger would do." Apparently Connie didn't have any trouble reconciling murder with romance. Of course, considering who her Family was, I guess she had a kind of skewed idea of romance. Personally, I'm more of a 'say it with flowers', not dead bodies, kind of gal.

I couldn't help myself and the more I thought about it, the more I cracked up. I could come up with a lot of adjectives to describe Ranger: hot, courageous, intelligent, dangerous, secretive, sexy … but romantic? No. The very last word I'd use was 'romantic'! Somehow I just couldn't see him leaving love notes or bringing flowers, arranging candlelight dinners or picnics on the beach. Nope. Of all the things he was, romantic wasn't one of them and I snorted at the thought of a romantic Ranger.

"Oh, come on! Don't you think that man would make the perfect pirate?" Connie said with a sigh. "Now that's romantic!"

Okay! That only made it worse. I laughed so hard my stomach ached and I had tears in my eyes. "Ranger as Captain Jack Sparrow!" I managed to choke out, _so _not romantic. Lula choked and snorted her coffee, and Connie looked at the two of us in disgust.

"Oh you two are impossible!" she snapped and pulled a paperback book out of her desk drawer, turning it to show us the cover. "Look at this and tell me who you see!"

Lula and I finally contained ourselves and obediently looked at the book cover. A tall muscled, dark haired god, stood spread legged, sword in hand, on the deck of a pirate ship, the skull and crossbones flying behind him. Thigh high boots, tight black pants and a billowy white shirt ripped open to his waist showed off his fabulous body.

He gazed down hungrily at the blue eyed girl draped over his other arm, his eyes blazing, his nostrils flared, long hair whipping in the wind. Her long curly brown hair was loose, her heaving bosoms in danger of escaping the tattered remnants of her dress, her lips parted, her body language saying, 'Take me! I'm yours!'

I had to agree with Connie. Ranger could have posed for that cover. And except for the heaving bosoms (mine weren't big enough to heave), there was a slight resemblance to yours truly.

"I've seen you two look at each other just like that!" Connie stated, tapping the cover with a blood red fingernail.

"Two hundred years ago I'll bet that's what he would have been … the captain of a pirate ship, pillaging and plundering his way across the high seas. Don't you think he'd make one hell of a swashbuckler?" Connie sighed and rested her chin in her hand, a dreamy smile on her face.

I turned to say something sarcastic to Lula, only to find her eyes glazed over too. "Oh yeah! She murmured. "He could swash my buckle any old day!" My eyes rolled so far back in my head they were in danger of making a complete loop! I guess I wasn't any more romantic than Ranger was.

I felt a familiar little tingle on the back of my neck and turned my head to find the man in question standing behind us. I guess he and I were back on the same wavelength and my internal Batman Warning System was working again. All the while we'd been hissing and spitting at each other, that telltale shiver I always felt when he was around had disappeared. Now it was back and I found it to be oddly comforting.

The girls were so into their fantasy that they didn't even notice that Ranger had come in the back way and was standing in the doorway listening to them talk. He looked from Lula to Connie, then turned to me and quirked an eyebrow.

"Yo, Ranger!" I chirped. "Or should I say, Yo-ho-ho," and I grinned at him. He looked so straight-faced that I thought he hadn't caught on that they were talking about him.

"Ladies," Ranger's velvet voice washed over us.

Connie froze for a second and turned bright red, then practically pounced on her computer, tapping away at the keys a mile a minute. Lula jumped up, grabbed her purse and muttered something about needing to get to the Dollar Store and dashed out the front door. We all heard her squeal away from the curb and fly down the street.

Ranger came into the office to drop a couple of body receipts on Connie's desk. She never lifted her eyes from her computer monitor, typing like a mad woman and only nodded when he asked her to send the checks to RangeMan. I thought I heard Connie whimper when he nonchalantly picked up the romance novel that she'd left sitting on her desk.

He took a look at the cover and the corner of his mouth twitched. I was pretty sure he wanted to smile but all he did was give a barely perceptible head shake, the Ranger equivalent of yelling 'Jeeze Louise!' and rolling his eyes.

He put the book back on the desk and turned to me. "Babe," Ranger held up a couple of files, then tipped his head toward Vinnie's office, the next best place for a private talk since one of our ground rules was no trips to the alley. I got up and strolled over, Ranger stepping back to let me into the office ahead of him.

As I passed, Ranger lowered his mouth close to my ear and breathed, "Arrrrgh!" as he closed the office door. Guess I was wrong about him not hearing the conversation.

I shook my head. "Doesn't work without the peg leg and parrot."

"How about I let you play with my sword?" and he gave me his wolf grin.

I snorted. "You are _so_ bad! And you're breaking one of the ground rules … no double entendres! Remember?" I shook my finger at sternly.

"Technically we aren't working together yet," he said. "At least not until I give you these." He leaned back against the door and held the files out to me, playfully pulling them back when I reached for them.

I snatched them out of his hand and flipped open the first one. It contained a copy of the file I had snagged from the lawyer's office, the list of evidence the DA planned on presenting at Joe's trial. "Yeah, I already have this but thanks anyway."

Ranger looked at me in surprise. Okay, so he raised an eyebrow, same thing. "Do I want to know how you got a hold of it?"

I shrugged. "Does it matter?" I could be mysterious too!

"Guess not." He gave me a serious look. "Just remember that we're supposed to be working together now; neither one of us can go off on our own without letting the other know what we're doing."

"Oh, have no fear, I remember," I assured him. "Just be sure that you do, too," I said with a big phony smile. "We both have to play by the same rules," I reminded him and he gave me a single nod.

I opened the second file and he tapped it, "This is what I've come up with so far."

I leaned my butt against Vinnie's desk and glanced over a two page list of names and addresses, each with a notation of their association to Abruzzi. I looked up at Ranger expectantly. "The people who would benefit in some way from Abruzzi's death," he said matter of factly.

My eyes bugged out. "So far? Wow!" I said in shock and looked down at the list again. "Real popular guy, huh?" There had to be at least twenty names. I had no idea how we were going to weed through them.

"We have our work cut out for us, that's for sure." Ranger said.

"No joke," I muttered, looking over the list that included Abruzzi's family members, business associates, victims, and ex-wives.

"Speaking of which, where do you want to set up shop? Your place, or mine?" He sounded nonchalant, but it was really a loaded question.

I thought about it for a second or two. There was a lot riding on our little collaboration, not just for Joe, but for me, too, especially since I could very possibly be paying Ranger's price, whatever that price really was. Actually I was torn. On one hand, I knew I should sit Ranger down and find out just exactly what it was that he expected from me as payment. On the other, I was scared to death to find out just exactly what he expected from me as payment. You see my dilemma?

I mean, I knew what the first deal we had made had been, and I could only think that this one would be more of the same … a lot more, like sexual slavery more. I found myself thinking about giving blow jobs on command, or that this deal could give a whole new meaning to the phrase, 'Assume the position' … for me at least. Just that thought alone made me shiver, but from anticipation or fear, I didn't know.

"I smell something burning, Babe." Ranger was eyeing me and I brought myself back to the here and now. I realized that I was fanning myself with the files and I felt myself blush all the way from my toes on up.

"Well," I stuttered, "my place doesn't even have a chair to sit on, so unless you plan on working on the floor, that's out."

"We could always work on your bed?" The corners of his mouth curved up a tiny bit.

I glared at him. "You're breaking the rules again! And anyway, no can do. The air mattress sprung a leak last night, so I wound up on the floor again. I've had enough floor time, thankyouverymuch." And no way was I getting anywhere near a bed with that man!

He strolled over to where I was perched on Vinnie's desk and looked down at me, gently running his fingers through my hair and tucking it behind my ears. "Well, I guess that only leaves my apartment."

Gulp! "Much as I love your apartment, I don't think that'll work either." I slid off the desk and inched away from him, "How about we find some neutral territory?"

He gave me a half smile. "What's the matter, Babe? Don't you trust me?"

I barked out a laugh. "Not for a second!" and I shook my head. "You're already playing fast and loose with the ground rules, buster. Don't make me regret this truce."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I give. I'll be all business from now on."

"More like funny business," I quipped. "Seriously though, it isn't a matter of trust. It's a matter of practicality. I'd like to be able to come and go at will and I'd just feel weird barging into your personal space at all times of the day and night. Plus, we have to have computers and desks and room for files and all kinds of stuff."

"Then how about one of the conference rooms? Is that neutral enough? I can have computers and printers installed and have a couple of desks moved in."

"Sure," I said. "That'd be great. Can we get one of those big white erasable boards, too?" I didn't watch _Law & Order_ and _CSI_ for nothing.

"No problem. Just let me know what you need and give me a call when you're ready to get to work."

"I just have to help Lula with her skip and that shouldn't take too long."

"All right." Ranger pulled the door open and we went out into the hallway. "If you want help with your vampire I can send one of the men with you."

"That would be Lula's vampire," I grinned. "She tells me that she's all prepared, whatever that means."

"Well the offer still stands. If you need help, call. I'll be in the office for the rest of the day." And Ranger headed out the back door.

When I walked back into the office Connie finally stopped typing and thumped her head on the desk. "Oh I could just die! I'll never be able to look him in the face again!" she wailed.

"I wouldn't worry about that too much, Con," I said. "You don't usually look at his face anyway." At least that made her laugh.

Thirty minutes later, we watched Lula circle the block. I guess she was checking to make sure that Ranger had left. Finally she pulled up in front of the office and honked until I came out climbed in.

"I ain't never been so embarrassed in my whole life, an' let me tell ya, it ain't easy to embarrass a former ho!" Lula babbled. "Is he mad? Did he say anythin'? Am I gonna have to move to Canada?"

"Nah! I think he was secretly flattered." Okay, so I stretched the truth a little.

"Yeah? Yeah, I shoulda thought of that. What man don't like flattery? Right?" Lula relaxed her death grip on the steering wheel and started to breathe again.

"Riiiight!" I agreed with her. "So … we finally gonna go get your skip or what?"

"Yep, I'm all ready. Got everything we need right here in the car!" Lula had apparently gotten over her mortal fear of vampires and pulled away from the curb, headed for Dupont Street, where Ferdie or Damien, take your pick, lived with his mom. "Here," she pulled a Scrunchie off her wrist. "Hurry up and put your hair up in a ponytail."

I noticed that she'd pulled her own braids up on top of her head. "And I need to do this … why?"

"I been doing a lotta research on vamps. I googled 'em an' I been readin' all them Sookie Stackhouse books. I been watchin' the reruns of _Buffy_ an' I got the DVDs for the whole first season of_True Blood _an' _Blood Ties _an' _Moonlight._ I know all the tricks so don't you worry, I got this all planned out." Lula looked real proud of herself and I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"So this is what," I asked as I secured my hair with the Scrunchie, "the official vampire catching hairdo?" I pulled the visor down and checked my new 'do' in the mirror.

"Don't be silly! There ain't no such thing!" she said with a snort of derision.

"There are no such things as vampires either! All that stuff is just fiction, great for books and movies and TV shows, but not real life." Stephanie Plum, voice of reason, strikes again.

"But what if the books are right? What if they really are out there, just waitin' for a chance to come out of the closet … coffin … grave … whatever? We gotta be prepared. I'm thinkin' we could have a whole new sideline here, corner the market … kinda like Ghostbusters but for vampires!" Lula was waaaaay excited about the prospect. I could practically see the dollar signs dancing in her head.

"We? We who? We us?" Lula nodded like a mad woman. "Sorry, there's no 'We', no way!" I said firmly. Lula just rolled her eyes.

"Just grab the shopping bag," she jerked her thumb toward the back seat. "I got us all kinds of protection." Somehow I didn't think she was talking about condoms. Lula pulled over around the corner from Ferdie's house and started rummaging through the bag. "Stick these in your ponytail so you can get at 'em easy."

She handed me a long paper sleeve. "Chopsticks? You want me to put _chopsticks_ in my hair?" I watched as Lula criss-crossed the chopsticks through her own up-do.

She rolled her eyes at me. "I couldn't find no stakes at the Dollar Store so I figured these'd do okay. They got flat ends, but I used Connie's electric pencil sharpener an' now they got real good points on 'em. They're gonna work just fine if we gotta stake this guy."

"No, Lula! There will be NO staking, no shooting, no violence, no nothing! Got it?" Yeesh! This was as bad as her always wanting to bust a cap up somebody's ass!

'Yeah, yeah, yeah," she muttered and dove into the shopping bag again, pulling out about a dozen big fat necklaces. Cheesy, fake rapper bling in shiny gold and silver plastic, they each sported a cross of some kind. "The books didn't say nothin' about crosses, but I figure they're kinda like traditional, ya know?" She handed me a couple but no way was I putting them on.

"Lula …" I put a finger to my twitching eye.

"Here, put this in your belt," and she handed me a squirt gun. I looked at it in confusion. "It's _holy water_," she said like I should have known, "in case he has some demon in him … like The Exorcist kid."

"Holy Water? Where did you get holy water?" Did I really want to know?

"Well," she said a little sheepishly, "Maybe not exactly holy water. There was a whole bunch of people in Saint Jude's so I couldn't just mosey up to the holy water font and load up in front of 'em all, ya know?" She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "I got the water outta the drinkin' fountain in the church vestibule. But that's the next holiest place, right?"

"Oh yeah, sure, holy." I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was the same water as was in the bathrooms. "Look, thanks Lula, but I'm just gonna stick with the old fashioned stuff … stun gun, cuffs, .38 police special if I need it, okay?" I pulled the Scrunchie out of my hair and tried to finger comb it into submission again. Lula took the chopsticks and stuck them into her top knot. She looked like she had an old timey TV antennae on top of her head.

"Okay, I guess," she said doubtfully. "But if he fangs ya, don't come cryin' to me!" Lula pulled around the corner, parked in front of the Gooberman house and we got out of the car. It was a nice little house with a neat lawn and planters filled with brightly colored flowers. Not at all the kind of place you'd expect to find vampires lurking.

Lula stuffed her water gun into the back of her spandex skirt and slipped about ten of those plastic cross necklaces over her head. I transferred my cuffs to my back pocket, clipped the .38 to my belt and kept the stun gun in my hand. Trenton's own version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I went up the front walk to the door. Lula fiddled with something in her purse while I rang the doorbell.

After a minute, a lady, drying her hands on a kitchen towel, opened the door. "Can I help you?" she said pleasantly, looking at me. Her eyes widened a bit when she caught a load of Lula, though.

"Good morning, ma'am. We represent Vincent Plum Bail Bonds and we're looking for Ferdie Gooberman, also known as Damien De Vil." I said politely.

A pained expression crossed her face and her shoulders slumped. "What's he done now?" she asked with a tired sigh.

"He missed his court date and we need to take him downtown to reschedule." She nodded her head as she stepped back and waved us into the living room.

"He's in the kitchen, eating breakfast," his mom told us, and pointed down the hall. I turned and gave Lula a wink. This was gonna be a piece of cake!

We walked into the kitchen and found Ferdie sitting at the table, shoveling waffles into his mouth. He wasn't wearing the Goth makeup, and I guessed that the black hair from his mug shot was a wig because his devil horns were camouflaged by his own naturally frizzy red afro. His vampire fang dental appliance was sitting on the table next to a glass of red juice, cranberry I guess, or pomegranate. Gone were the goat eyes, he was wearing Coke bottle glasses and reading a comic book.

Ferdie glanced up and right away knew who we were. He grabbed his fangs and snapped them in, jumped up from the table and shoved it at us, sending plates and food flying. He made a break for the door but we blocked his path and Lula pulled out her holy water pistol and unloaded on him. Ferdie yelled, "What the fuck, lady!" but he didn't go up in smoke or fall to the floor writhing in pain.

Then Ferdie morphed into Damien and crouched slightly, curled his hands into claws and pulled his lips back in a snarl, showing his fangs and hissing at us. 'Buffy' took one look at him, made an 'Eeep' sound, and beat feet for the front door, leaving me to deal with him all by myself. Just friggin' swell!

"Knock it off, Ferdie. Let's just go downtown and get this over with." I pulled out my cuffs but before I had a chance to move, Ferdie lunged and shoved me across the kitchen, then took off running down the hall. I pushed off the cabinets and tackled him, the two of us winding up in a tangle on the floor. Ferdie knocked the stun gun out of my hand, but I managed to snap one cuff on his wrist.

He scrambled into the living room, with me hot on his heels. We bolted past his mother, who stood in stunned silence, watching us crash through her house and out the front door onto the lawn. I snagged the dangling handcuff and held onto it with both hands, digging my heels into the ground, or trying to, that is.

The grass was wet and slick and I slipped and slid across the lawn with Ferdie, screaming at the top of his lungs and cursing up a blue streak, dragging me along behind him. He jerked me around, trying to shake me loose, and my feet slid out from under me, taking me down to the ground. He pulled me in a circle, slowly at first, then spinning faster and faster with my head getting closer to the ground. I guess we looked like Olympic ice skaters executing a death spiral. By now, I was screaming too!

When he couldn't lose me, he pounced, straddling me, fangs bared, his hand balled up into a fist. I couldn't tell if he was gonna punch me or bite me or both! Lula burst through the shrubbery, a large plastic container in her hand. "Hey, Damien," she yelled and when he looked up at her, she dumped about a pound of garlic powder on him. He screamed in pain as it hit his eyes, and started to cough and choke from inhaling the stuff. A few seconds later he stiffened, then rolled off me and lay unconscious on the grass.

"I did it! I did it! See? It worked! It really worked! The garlic got him!" Lula yelled, practically jumping up and down for joy! I suspected that Ferdie's unconscious state had less to do with Lula's garlic powder and more to do with his mother standing over him, my stun gun in her hand. I crawled over to Ferdie and flipped him over onto his stomach, cuffing his hands behind his back.

Unfortunately, Lula had covered me in garlic powder too and as much as I tried to shake it out of my hair and clothes, both were wet from rolling in the grass and the garlic powder turned to glue. I couldn't escape it. I'd gotten a face full. My nose ran and burned, and I started to sneeze, great huge window rattling sneezes, one after another. I coughed and wheezed. My eyes watered and garlicky tears ran down my cheeks, and I couldn't spit the taste out of my mouth … I was a mess.

On the up side, I'd probably have garlic breath for the next month. At least I wouldn't have to worry about Ranger making a pass at me anytime soon! Vampires either, for that matter. No respectable creature, living or dead, would have anything to do with me!

The laughter caught my attention and only then did I realize that we had an audience, and I'm not just talking about the neighbors all of whom came out to watch the show. Two big black SUVs were parked at the curb. Hal and Ram were busy with their video phones, and Binkie had a digital camera, preserving the whole episode for posterity. Worst of all, Ranger was leaning back against one of the SUVs, ankles crossed, arms folded over his chest, full 200 watt smile on his face. Son of a bitch!

"Hey guys! Enjoying the show?" I tried to narrow my swollen eyes.

"Yes ma'am," Hal said with a laugh. "Lula told Tank how she was going to apprehend this FTA and we didn't want to miss it."

"Oh just friggin' swell!" I muttered to nobody in particular. I could see this little video on a perpetual loop at RangeMan.

Ranger strolled over and pulled me to my feet and Ram hoisted the still unconscious Ferdie over his shoulder. "I'll take him down to the police station for you," Ram offered. He sniffed the air around us. "I'm gonna have to hit Pino's," he said with a grin. "I'm craving a little Italian." He took off with Ferdie and the other guys, leaving Ranger and me standing on the lawn.

"I'm craving a little Italian, too," Ranger said to me softly. "You're making my mouth water." He brushed garlic powder off my face. "But then, you always do." He bent slightly and touched the corner of my mouth with the tip of his tongue. His, "Ummmmmm…" almost made my knees buckle, and absolutely ruined my panties. So much for the garlic keeping Ranger away.

"Ladies," he said to Lula and Mrs. Gooberman who stood there watching the whole exchange, stunned and slack jawed. "I'll see _you_ later," he tugged my hair gently and got into his SUV. He was gone long before any of us snapped out of our Ranger induced stupor.

I got my stun gun back from Mrs. Gooberman who was stoked that she had stunned Ferdie. She wanted to know where she could get one of her own. Ferdie'd been nothing but trouble for the last few years and I had the feeling that he'd be shaping up or shipping out of the old homestead before too long, especially now that mom was armed and dangerous.

"Garlic powder?" I confronted Lula as we drove back to the bonds office. She didn't have a speck of it on her, naturally.

"Weeeeell," she whined. "The Dollar Store didn't have anythin' else and it says it's 100 percent, pure garlic!" She held up the empty jug to show me. "See?" I just grunted in reply. "I'm surprised that holy water didn't stop him," she went on. "I guess it wasn't holy enough, huh?" I was too tired to roll my eyes.

I didn't go into the office, just threw Connie a wave, climbed into my car, opened all the windows, and went straight home. All I wanted was a big tube of Colgate, a bottle of Scope, a super size bottle of Pantene, and a gallon of body wash … any flavor but garlic! A pack of matches to burn my clothes wasn't such a bad idea either. I'd have to throw them right in the dumpster or risk my apartment smelling like an Italian deli for God only knew how long. A nap sounded good too, but without a bed … ah well. Maybe this afternoon I'd go shopping for a cheap mattress.

I pulled into my usual spot by the dumpster and spotted my mother's car on the other side of the parking lot. Great! If I hadn't stunk to high heaven I would have waited until she left. I really didn't want her to see me like this; we'd been getting along so well lately. She was probably here to patch the air mattress. I trudged into the building, mashing the button for the elevator. I knew it was only one flight, but I just couldn't face the stairs. The elevator doors opened on a beaming Mrs. Bestler. "All aboard! Floor, please," she asked happily.

"Second floor," she sang out when I answered her. "Furniture, bed linens, curtains, lamps, accessories, and good looking men." I couldn't help but smile. She gave a whole new meaning to 'Men's Department'.

I smiled all the way to my apartment door. Toeing off my sneakers, I stuffed my socks into them, leaving them on the pretty new welcome mat my mother probably brought over. I had already pulled my shirt out of my pants as I walked in the door and was about to haul it over my head, when I stopped short. Holy Crap! I had walked into the wrong apartment! This wasn't my place. I must have gotten off on the wrong floor! I held my breath and backed out as quietly as I could so I wouldn't scare the crap out of the tenant. I should have realized my mistake when I saw that door mat but I wondered why my key had worked in the lock.

As I snuck out the door, I glanced at the number. 2B, that was me! What the hell? I stepped back into the apartment and stopped in the little foyer, looking around. I recognized Aunt Tootie's coffee table in the living room, but not the cushy brown micro-fiber couch sitting behind it. Grandma Mazur's table and chairs were in the dining alcove, but I'd never seen the rug that was under them before. There were tables and lamps and a flat screen TV with a DVD player and pictures on the wall. It looked like one of those HGTV design stars had been at work here and this was the surprise reveal.

I just stood there with my mouth hung open. Could an overdose of garlic make you hallucinate? "Mom?" I called.

"Oh hello, dear," my mother hustled out of the bedroom. "What do you think? Do you like it?" She waved her hand around the room.

"I LOVE it! Did you and Dad do all this? I've only been gone a couple of hours, how did you get all this done?" I just stood there, gaping.

"Well, no actually. We had a lot of help. Ranger's men went with your dad to Joe's house and … what was the word they used? Oh yes, they 'liberated' your furniture and the rest of your clothes." My mom actually giggled. "Apparently Anthony wasn't too happy about it. And even better, Angie will have a fit!" She was practically giddy.

"Okay, so how about the rest of this stuff?" This wasn't furniture from some resale shop or from Goodwill and there was no way my parents could afford all this. "Where did it come from?"

"Oh, Ranger brought it over," Mom said with a huge smile and grabbed my arm. "Come and see the bedroom!" she gushed and pulled me across the living room.

"Ranger?" I mumbled dumbly.

"Yes, dear," she said with a happy sigh.

"Ranger brought me furniture?" I must have sounded like a simpleton, but I was beyond stunned.

"Yes! Isn't that romantic?"

Romantic … There was that word again …

Okay! What was going on here? What the hell was Ranger up to? And why did I feel like this was a conspiracy?

TBC …

What _is _Ranger up to? Do you think he has an ulterior motive? Who do you think will win the competition and prove Joe's innocence? And do you think Ranger really is a romantic? Will Ranger ever get that 'little Italian' that he's craving? Let me know what you think!

A/N: Sorry this took so long … the Muse took off for parts unknown, I've been down with the worst summer cold I've ever had, my DH has been sick too, I even had to take the cat to the vet … twice! It's hot as Hades here, and I've been all around miserable. Okay enough whining … I'll try to do better.

If anyone sees my drunken, crack smokin', ho of a Muse … please give her a kick in the arse and send her home! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed … that what keeps me going …

Stayce


	19. The Game of Love!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_**The wounds of love can only be healed by the one who made them.**_

_**Publilius Syrus**_

_**Roman author, 1st century B.C.**_

_**Chapter 19: The Game of Love!**_

I stomped off the elevator on the fifth floor, not an easy thing to do in 3 inch heels, and headed straight for the break room. It had been one royal shit of a day so far, and I needed comfort food …caffeine, sugar, fat. Unfortunately, because of the food Nazi who owned this place, the only thing in stock was coffee and even then I wasn't so sure that he hadn't snuck in decaf. I mentally kicked myself for not stopping at Starbuck's or Dunkin Donuts … anyplace I could get a fix.

I poured myself a cup, bitching that they didn't even have real sugar, and added five packets of Splenda to it, stirring with a vengeance. The choice of fat free CoffeeMate or skim milk did absolutely nothing to improve my mood. I took a big gulp, gagged, and dumped the whole thing in the sink.

A wolf whistle came from behind me and I spun around, prepared to beat the offender to a bloody pulp. I was in NO mood! Lester lounged against the door jamb, arms folded over his muscular chest. "Looking gooooood, Bombshell. I like that skirt!" He waggled his eyebrows and leered at me.

"Shove it, Santos! Don't start with me!" I stomped over and jabbed him in the chest with my finger.

"Jeez! Who the hell pissed in your Cheerios?" Think he noticed I wasn't my usual sunny self?

"Oh, that would be Special Prosecutor Claudia Montenegro," I said sarcastically and made a pissy face as I said her name.

"Awwww, Guess she's not gonna be your new best friend, huh?" He grinned, the ass. "Seriously, though, Steph. She's got a nasty rep as a real shark, out to get her name in the papers."

"In the Obituaries, I hope," I snapped and plopped down at one of the tables.

"So what happened?" I watched Lester get himself a cup of coffee and then start rummaging around on the top shelf of one of the cabinets.

"The bitch _subpoenaed _me! She said I had to come in for a witness statement. All part of the discovery process or something." I waved my hand. "Les, she's gonna call me as a witness for the prosecution!"

"Ouch!" He grimaced, and slid a package of Butterscotch Krimpets, obviously from a super secret hidden stash, across the table to me. "Here, it's too early to start drinking."

I pounced on it like the sugar addict I am. "Lester Santos, you are a god!"

"Yeah, I know," he said modestly. "Look, you aren't really surprised are you, Steph? The State is gonna use you to prove that Joe had a motive to kill Abruzzi. Sorry, but all they have to do is put you on the stand and it's a slam dunk." He shook his head sympathetically.

"I know!" I growled around the Krimpet stuffed in my mouth. "And there's not a damned thing I can do about it either! Hell Les, she and her little rat-faced assistant questioned me to death about my run-ins with Abruzzi … they knew all about the snakes, the spiders, the car bomb, the threats, the kidnapping, the torture, everything! They'll be able to give the jury a great motive for Joe to go blow Abruzzi's brains out." I leaned my elbows on the table and massaged my aching temples.

"Yeah, all she has to do is make him look like a rogue cop and that's the end of it," Les said over the rim of his coffee cup.

"I'm telling ya, if Montenegro describes Abruzzi as a fine, upstanding citizen, I'm gonna barf all over that courtroom." Just the thought made me queasy.

"Nah, she's not stupid. She knows that nobody in Trenton'd buy that crap. She'll probably go with the old 'It doesn't matter if the victim was a monster or a saint, murder is still murder' route, and throw in 'A cop is supposed to uphold the law, not take it into his own hands,' just to be on the safe side."

I groaned long and loud. I knew he was right and it just pissed me off that they were going to use me to make their case against Joe.

"Joe's lawyer said that if they bring up the fact that I tried to confess to the murder, it would just about slam the cell door shut on him. He said that they could convince the jury that my confession was proof positive that I knew that Joe killed Abruzzi for threatening me, and I was just trying to muddy the waters." I blew out a deep breath. "And here I thought I was helping." I sounded as deflated as I felt.

Lester shrugged, "You could always lie." He rinsed his cup and put it in the dishwasher.

"Oh that's brilliant! Then I could go to jail too," I snarked. "And what good would lying do anyway? They'd just call a dozen witnesses who'd swear that I was scared stiff of Abruzzi and his thugs. Hell, they could even call my mother and Val and Grandma Mazur to testify that he terrorized us."

I was burying the Tastykake wrapper in the trash can when a horrible thought hit me. "Oh My God! What if they found out that Mom ran over the rabbit and killed him? They could charge her with manslaughter, or vehicular homicide, or murder, even." I started to hyperventilate. My mom killing one of Abruzzi's thugs was an open secret at RangeMan and none of the Merry Men were surprised or shocked that she had protected one of her own.

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down Steph. Nothing like that's gonna happen." Lester put his arm around my waist. "Come on, I'm off the clock. Let's go work on those searches of yours."

Lester really was a good guy. I leaned my head against his shoulder and we walked toward the conference room that Ranger and I were using as our base of operations. "Thanks Les, I really do love you," I sighed and slung my arm around his waist too, "but if you don't take your hand off my ass, you're gonna lose it."

"You're a hard hearted woman, Stephanie Plum," he said with a sigh and I had to giggle.

Three hours later, Lester and I were still slumped in front of our respective computers in the conference room, watching the searches print out. We had played 'Twenty Questions', 'I Spy', and 'Hang Man' … until I called it quits when Lester's word was 'cunnilingus'. We tried small talk instead.

"You like being an 'investigator', Bombshell?"

"You know, I don't know what the hell I thought Ranger and I were gonna be doing," I told him. "Chasing suspects down dark alleys, maybe, tapping phones, following bad guys with our guns drawn, dumping LUDs … Okay, so I don't have any idea what that is, but they do it on _Law & Order_ all the time." I grumped. "I just never saw myself sitting here staring at the computer until my eyes crossed and my ass got numb."

Yeah, yeah! I told myself. I should have known better … all my fault … queen of denial … blah-blah-blah. But I wasn't telling Santos that.

Lester roared with laughter at my complaining. The more I bitched, the louder he laughed. I was entertaining him. I kept forgetting that my sole purpose in life is to amuse RangeMan LLC.

Lester sat with his feet up on the desk, his ankles crossed, hands folded over his six-pack abs. "LUD stands for Local Usage Details," he said, still chuckling. "It's a record of phone calls made to and from a particular number. Cops need a court order to dump them. It's right up there with wire tapping. _But_," he held up a finger, "for an enterprising young man such as myself," he shot me his perfect white smile, "there is always a way to get around that."

"You really need to work on that lack of self-confidence," I said dryly.

He gave me a wink. "As for that numb ass of yours, Dr. Santos has just the cure for that." He raised his hands and flexed his fingers like he was squeezing my butt. "I give a great massage."

"I'll pass, thanks," I pointed to the computer. "Gotta finish my 'sleuthing'."

"Ah, you have no idea what you're missing." He stood up and stretched, slowly working out all the kinks. Between you and me, I think he was really just showing off his great body. He collected the searches he'd run, and dropped them on my desk. "Gotta run, Bombshell. Big date tonight."

"Who's the lucky lady, Les?" I tipped my head way back so I could look at him standing behind me.

"Coulda been you, Steph." He put his hand over his heart and sighed dramatically. "Coulda been you!" He dropped a kiss on the top of my head and headed out.

"Thanks for your help. See you tomorrow," I called after him.

He stuck his head back in the doorway. "Only if I don't score," he said with a grin and an eyebrow waggle.

"Like that's gonna happen." This time I had to laugh.

I was almost finished invading the privacy of the hordes of folks who had been thrilled to death, no pun intended, that Eddie Abruzzi had gone to meet his maker. I swear to God that there were so many happy people that if they ever decided to all get together, they'd have had to rent out the Trenton Convention Center for the party.

It had taken ten long days to run the searches on the endless list of potential suspects that it had taken Ranger a couple of weeks to compile. RangeMan's top notch search engines let me dig as deeply into their personal lives as the FBI, the CIA, or Interpol could get. But running those reports was the easy part. It was reading them that really screwed with my head.

Let me tell ya, by the time I finished all those searches, I was a walking encyclopedia of useless information about Abruzzi's gophers, henchmen, business associates, family and victims. The man had no friends, no big surprise there, so we could skip that category. I knew more about each and every one of those people than they knew about themselves; every thrilling little detail of their boring little lives was there for my perusal. By the way, just in case you didn't catch it, that was sarcasm.

I could tell you who still had their tonsils, who owed what to the IRS, and whether the men 'dressed' their guys to the left side or to the right. I could tell you how much ex-wife #1 racked up at Neiman Marcus last month, the name of the hotel where ex-wife #2 had had her rendezvous with the pool boy in 2002, and the number of phone calls ex-wife #3 made to her cosmetic surgeon about her butt lift. No joke, she gave a whole new meaning to the term 'booty call'!

"I'm a virtual Peeping Tom!" I'd whined to Tank a couple of days earlier when I schlumped into his office and threw myself into a guest chair. I'd been doing a lot of whining these days.

Granted, Ranger was reading the same reports I was, but it didn't seem to bother him. I, on the other hand, felt like I was peeking into windows, or snooping through underwear drawers, or reading diaries. I'd also found out a lot of creepy and disgusting stuff about some of Abruzzi's confederates that absolutely made my skin crawl.

"Bombshell," Tank said kindly, "you're doing exactly what any good cop or detective has to do." He kicked back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. "They have to get into a suspect's head and see how they live their lives, figure out how they think. It's what profilers do. You have the added advantage of a great sixth sense when it comes to people, Steph. You were made for this kind of investigation."

"But some of this stuff is just nauseating." I couldn't help but shudder.

"Abruzzi was a sociopath," he said matter-of-factly. "He had no sense of right or wrong, no conscience. Everything revolved around what he wanted, didn't matter how he got it. And he surrounded himself with people who were just as sick and warped as he was."

"Sometimes when I read those files, I feel like I'm wading through sewage. I'm gonna need brain bleach." I blew out a deep breath.

"Join the club, Steph," Tank said ruefully. "Some time or other, every one of us has felt the same way. It's the nature of the job." He sat up and leaned his elbows on his desk. "Your problem is that you're taking this stuff personally. You have to toughen up some, not let it eat at you."

I think that was supposed to make me feel better, but it didn't work. So I just nodded.

"I keep hoping that in all of the stuff I've dug up I'll find a photo of somebody holding a big sign that said, 'I Killed Abruzzi'!" I slumped in my chair.

Tank snorted. "Praying for a miracle?"

"I wish!" I whined … again. "I mean, I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but paring down the list of suspects is gonna be a nightmare. There are dozens of them!"

"Yeah! Did the guy who had no chance of paying back the hundred grand he owed Abruzzi have more of a reason to bump him off than the ex-wife who had her alimony cut off but was still the beneficiary of his life insurance policy? Did the crony who wanted to take over Abruzzi's territory want Eddie dead more than the widow of a guy Abruzzi had fitted with 'cement shoes' and sent to 'swim with the fishes'?" He gave his head in a 'better you than me' shake. "How do you pick?"

I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. "Everybody on that list had some nifty reason for wanting to get rid of Eddie Abruzzi, fear, revenge, hate, greed, you name it. And now it's up to Ranger and me to figure out which one them really did. No sweat!"

"Don't envy you your job, Bombshell. I think I'll just stick with paperwork." That was Tank's most hated job.

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, well, the elimination process is gonna have to rely heavily on proven scientific method." Tank arched an eyebrow at me. "My spidey-sense and Ranger's gut … can't get any more scientific than that. Har-har!" I said with a snort. "When it comes right down to it, all we really can do is keep on slogging through our list of suspects and hope we'd find somebody who had a bigger and better motive to kill the guy than Joe did."

"Don't sell yourself short, Steph. My money is on your guys to figure it out." Tank made a great cheerleader.

Okay, so I really hoped Tank wasn't actually betting any money on me. He'd lose his shirt for sure. I know I should have been studying the reports, looking for suspects, stuff like that. But instead, I was sitting in the conference room, chin in hand, busy studying something of a more personal nature. Like who had the better butt, Bobby or Ram. They were moving furniture around, making room for the filing cabinets I needed to keep all the background searches in, and they were putting on quite a show. I was too busy watching their buff bodies and bulging muscles, daydreaming about the possibilities of being the filling in a Merry Man sandwich, to think about anything else. Talk about pent-up frustrations!

"Steph," Ram was looking at me funny. "You okay? You look a little glassy-eyed."

"What? Oh! Yeah, I'm just peachy." I snapped out of my day dream and gave him a dopey, too bright smile.

Watching the Merry Men had gotten me into plenty of trouble the last time I worked here, and those same pent-up frustrations made me invite Ranger back into my bed. Big mistake. HUGE mistake! Now I was back here again and I was painfully aware of exactly what was missing from my life. Sex! I could practically smell all the testosterone in the air and it had my hormones hopping.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that sex is my second most favorite thing in the whole wide world, birthday cake being the first. See the connection here? Sugar … sex? Remember a couple of years ago, when I swore off sugar? I almost wore out Joe's legendary galloping sex drive, to say nothing of a couple of his body parts that he held near and dear. Well, this was like the reverse, like I had sworn off sex. Not willingly, of course, but once Joe went to jail, I might as well have become a nun. I mean, I felt like I had taken a vow of chastity.

Lula had pegged my problem right away and had dragged me off for an emergency run to Pleasure Treasures but flesh colored vinyl, even with D batteries, just didn't do it for me. And naming my shower massagers didn't help either. I gave running a shot, but only embarrassed myself when I almost followed a great ass into the men's room. I tried yoga but downward dog was just a turn on. I even tested out the reverse of my jelly donut theory. If sex could replace sugar, maybe sugar could replace sex. Let me tell you, it doesn't work! All that did was boost Tastykake and Ben & Jerry's sales in the Trenton area, and add two inches to my ass.

To make matters worse, Ranger was starring in most of my fantasies, and if he ever made a move on me, I don't know that I could have remained virtuous. Okay, even I couldn't say that with a straight face, but you know what I mean. Truth is, it wasn't Ranger moving on me that I was worried about. It was me moving on Ranger, literally. I wanted to ride that man like a circus pony … forwards, backwards, bareback, one foot behind my head … you name it! And of course, Ranger knew exactly what my problem was. Humanitarian that he was, he graciously offered to help me out.

Too bad I couldn't take him up on it. Been there, done that, and nope, sex with Ranger would not end well. At least not once the Doomsday orgasm wore off. I mean, I'd just be setting myself up for another disaster. I already gave that man two chances and both times he turned his back on me and walked away. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. No way in hell was I giving him a third shot at breaking my heart!

Plus, I was still planning on using every dirty trick I could come up with to win our little competition just so I could have the thrill of telling both Ranger and Joe that they could kiss my lily white ass in Macy's front window! Okay, so maybe I wouldn't say exactly that. Ranger, for one, would probably take me up on it. But I was done with them! I'd just give both of them the old heave ho, tell 'em to go jump in the lake, go fly a kite, good-bye, farewell, don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out of my life. I felt powerful just thinking about it.

Anyway, the guys finished with the furniture and left and I went back to reading files. It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open and I yawned … again. Leaning back in my big leather desk chair, I considered making another pot of coffee, but that would take too much energy. Maybe I'd just shut my eyes for a minute.

Just as soon as I got nice and comfy, I heard the door open and I swiveled my chair around. I guess Ranger had been in meetings all day because he was in full Armani-clad corporate mode, charcoal grey suit, pale blue silk dress shirt, grey, blue and black striped tie. Power, affluence, and just the right touch of danger practically dripped off of him. Corporate Ranger was my second most favorite of his many looks. Naked Ranger being first, natch!

He didn't look at me when he came in, giving his full attention to whoever he was talking to on his cell. I watched him as he tossed a leather portfolio onto his desk and slid off his suit jacket, laying it over the back of his desk chair. He leaned his fantastic butt against his desk and tucked his phone between his shoulder and his cheek so he could loosen his tie, pop open a couple of buttons on his shirt, and roll up his sleeves while he continued his conversation. I checked my chin for drool. Did I mention that I was horny?

Finally, he snapped the phone shut and his lips tipped up into a slow, sexy smile. I started to ask him how his day had gone, but then he turned toward me. Uh-oh, I knew that look and I was in big trouble here. His eyes were black, hot and hooded, and the words just died in my throat. He sat there, studying me, his gaze so intense that everywhere his eyes touched, my hair, my mouth, my throat, my breasts, my legs, it felt like his hands were skimming over my body.

I was barefoot, slouched in my chair, sitting with one leg curled under me and his eyes lingered on my legs. A little too late I realized that my already short skirt had ridden way up on my thighs and I was probably giving him quite a view of my little pink panties. Holy crap! I hustled to sit up, straighten my legs, and pull down the hem of my skirt.

Without taking his eyes off of me, Ranger pushed off the desk and reached over to flip the deadbolt on the conference room door. The click of the lock turning sounded like a gunshot in the silence of the room and my heartbeat ratcheted up a notch at the feral gleam in his eyes. His smile slipped away and he focused on me with such heat that I forgot how to breathe.

As quiet and lethal as some jungle cat, he stalked me across the whole length of the big conference room, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. I would have tried to scramble away if I hadn't been paralyzed, hypnotized by those black eyes of his. I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from his. My mouth went dry as I watched him move and every nerve in my body hummed like and over-taut wire.

A wave of lust lurched through me, settling low in my belly and I licked my lips in anticipation. I was the prey, caught in the eye of the tiger, and I wasn't at all sure that I wanted to escape.

He stopped in front of me, straddling my outstretched legs, and bent down to wrap his hands around the armrests, trapping me in the chair. I tipped my head back to look up at him, let my eyes drift shut, and held my breath, waiting with a mix of fear and anticipation. Pictures of us together in my bed flashed on the inside of my eyelids and I could feel his hands lifting my hips, his mouth on my breasts, his hot, thick length impaling me over and over. The memories made me shiver and I heard somebody moan. Me, I guess.

I felt, rather than saw, Ranger bend close to me; his hot breath touched my hair and skimmed my face. I knew his mouth hovered over mine, and he hesitated a second before barely touching my lips with his.

"Open your eyes, Stephanie," he whispered against my mouth. "It's time to pay up."

I pressed my mouth against his a little harder and parted my lips, making a little, 'umm' sound. Then his words filtered into my lust-soaked brain. Talk about ruining the moment. My eyes popped open and I sat bolt upright. Who the hell did the son of a bitch think he was? _Time to pay up_? I don't _think_ so, sport! I hit a new land speed record and went from zero to bitch in .02 seconds flat. I am woman, hear me roar!

Oh boy! Was he gonna get it! I catapulted myself up and out of the chair and started to lace into him. Unfortunately, I shoved the chair back so hard that it bounced off the desk and slammed into the back of my legs, sending me flying into Ranger. Gotta give him credit, he did try to catch me, but we wound up on the floor in a tangle of arms and legs and chair … Ranger on top, naturally. So much for my righteous indignation.

My skirt was hiked up to my ass and my legs were spread, Ranger fitting nicely between my thighs. He supported his weight on his forearms and looked down at me. For a second or two I fought the urge to wrap my legs around his waist and grind myself against him. From the smirk on his face I'd say he knew exactly what I was thinking, the rat, and I felt my cheeks start to burn.

The conference room door flew open and Hal burst in. "I heard a crash. Is everything all ri … Ooops!" His eyes got wide and his face turned as red as mine when he saw us lying there. "Sorry!" he snorted, trying to hide his smile. "Want me to lock this?" he asked helpfully. Ranger growled and Hal disappeared, slamming the door behind him. We could hear him chuckling all the way down the hall.

Wait a minute! Wasn't that door locked, I thought vaguely. I shoved at his shoulder. "Oh, just flippin' great! He's gonna go tell everybody that the boss got lucky!" I groused and pushed at him again.

He grinned down at me and made no attempt to get up. "Not if he wants to live, he won't. You okay?" He brushed my hair out of my face and settled his hips a little, making me gasp.

"I would be if I could breathe! Get off!" I snapped, pushing at him ineffectually.

"Get off?" he chuckled. "I'd love to, Babe. Is that an invitation?" He bent and nuzzled the side of my face.

"No, dammit! You think you and your double entendres are so cute! Well, I got news for ya! You're not!" I tried to wiggle out from under him, but that only made matters worse.

Ranger's hands tightened on me, to hold me still, I think. He closed his eyes and groaned deep in his chest. "God Almighty, Stephanie. Stop moving! You're killing me!"

Except for his cargos and my pink panties, Mr. Happy was right where I wanted him, standing at attention. Oh boy! "Just returning the favor," I said breathlessly. "So, you move! You're the one on top of me!"

He gave me his wolf grin and rolled his hips against mine. "Your wish is my command!" I know I moaned. My eyes rolled back and my body automatically arched against his. I think I had a mini orgasm and I dug my fingernails into the tops of his arms. I'm pretty sure I drew blood. "We've been in this position before, Babe," he said, his voice deep and sexy. He leaned down to brush his lips over mine again. "You know that when we're together we make magic."

"Yeah, it's magic, all right," I practically panted. "You wave your magic wand and then disappear in a puff of smoke." Okay, so that came out a little bitchier than I intended. "I'm just the magician's assistant. The one who gets cut in half. That gets old after a while."

"Maybe we should work out a new routine? I'll let you play with my magic wand." He nipped my ear lobe and I broke out in goose bumps.

"No way."

"Afraid?"

"Cautious."

"That's no fun," Ranger said.

"I didn't know you were interested in fun."

There was a very slight curve to the corners of his mouth. "I have my moments."

"Cute Ranger, but enough already. You're breaking the ground rules!" I smacked his shoulder. "And don't think I don't know what you're doing here! You forget that you taught me all about exerting pressure. I paid attention in that class, so knock it off!"

Ranger blew out a breath and looked at me, suddenly serious. "Someday, Stephanie …" He left the rest unsaid.

"I've heard that before," I sighed. "And _someday_ you're gonna have to finish that sentence.

"Maybe I will," he murmured. "Someday."

He levered himself up on his hands and toes, doing a perfect push up, then rolled to his feet and held out a hand to pull me up off the floor. I quickly pulled down my skirt and searched around for my shoes. When I glanced at him, I saw something in his eyes that I couldn't quite identify. It was gone so quickly that I decided that probably I had imagined it.

"So what did you say to me before? I mean, I don't think I was asleep, but …" I tried to sound nonchalant, but I wasn't gonna let this go. "You said something about, 'It's time to …' What?" I tried to make it sound conversational. I took a stack folders and arranged them in one of the file cabinets.

"Babe, you weren't just asleep, you were comatose. You never heard me come in and you didn't even move when I turned on the lights. You were all curled up in your chair here in the dark. You must have been having some dream, though, the way you were moaning in your sleep." His eyes twinkled while he described me. "I told you it was time to wake up. But I guess I scared you, considering the way you bolted out of that chair."

O-kay. 'Wake up', not 'pay up' … Oooops! "Yeah, guess you did. Dreaming, huh? Guess it wasn't much of a dream if I can't remember it." Oh crap! I hope he didn't know I was dreaming about him! I tried to blow it off, but I didn't think he bought it.

"I woke you because I'm going to do a little information gathering this evening. If you want to come along, you'll need to grab something to eat, and change your clothes, before we leave." He looked at me over the report that he was scanning. "What did you think I said, anyway?"

"Oh, doesn't matter." I waved my hand like it was unimportant. That's when it hit me that Ranger wasn't wearing Armani, he was dressed in his RangeMan uniform. Phooey. I really must have been asleep. Hopefully I dreamed the part about flashing my panties at him. I told you that he'd been center stage in my fantasies … dreams, too, I guess. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"I thought we'd pay a social call on your old pal D'Wayne." He picked up his blue hi-liter and marked something in the report.

My eyes must have bugged out. I'd been talking myself blue for weeks, trying to get Ranger to pump D'Wayne for information. Granted, he never said no, but he never did anything about it either. "Really? What made you decide to do it now?"

"Gotta make it worth his while to give us the information. I finally have something to trade that's as valuable to him as what we want to know," he said with a shrug.

"Whatcha got?" It had to be something pretty big if it'd make D'Wayne rat out one of his clients.

Ranger closed the folder and tossed it on his desk, giving me his full attention. "D'Wayne is on the FBI's short list of suspects for a big drug heist over in Pennsylvania. I'm gonna tell him he needs to move the stuff before the Feebs zero in on him."

I looked at him in surprise. "So, let me get this straight. You're gonna give him insider information to help him avoid being caught by the FBI? Isn't that going a little deep into the legally grey area?"

"Isn't it worth it if we get the information that sets an innocent man free?" He looked me in the eye, testing me, I guess.

"Well … yeah, I guess. But maybe not, because it lets a guilty guy stay free, but …" Oh, this was a tough one.

He gave me a half smile. "Don't worry, it's not what it seems. I'll tell D'Wayne about the FBI, but what I won't tell him is that there's a joint task force. The DEA has an eye on him too. They're the ones making the case against him and his crew. The FBI is the distraction, making all the noise. They're hoping that D'Wayne will be so busy trying to avoid the Feebs, he'll fall right into the DEA's lap."

"You didn't tell me that they asked you for your help." I was relieved that this was going to be above board.

He shrugged. "Well, technically they didn't."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do they _know _that you're planning on helping them out?" I asked suspiciously.

"They're probably better off not knowing. Wouldn't want them to feel obligated to return the favor." He arched an eyebrow at me. Ranger humor, again.

I rolled my eyes. "Ah-hanh." Oh goody! We were muscling in on a federal investigation.

He slung an arm over my shoulders. "Come on, let's go upstairs and have dinner, then you can go home and change. We'll leave here around 11pm." I dug my heels in and shot him a look. "Just dinner, I promise." He made a little cross over his heart. I rolled my eyes… again.

"Okay, but why do I have to change my clothes? What's the matter with what I'm wearing?" I glanced down at my skirt and heels.

"Nothing, but if you sit down and D'Wayne sees those little pink panties of yours, I'm going to have to kill him!" Ranger gave me his full 200 watt smile and laughed as my shriek echoed down the hall. He was still chuckling as he steered me into the elevator.

It was 11pm sharp when our caravan left Haywood and headed toward Stark Street. Ranger was in his zone and I mulled over what D'Wayne's information could mean for Joe. The case that the State built against him depended on three key items that they'd use to prove that Joe had the motive, opportunity, and means to kill Abruzzi. They were gonna use me to prove motive, my hospital records to prove opportunity, and of course, they found the friggin' gun at Joe's house. It looked like an open and shut case.

I'd scooted past Tank's office on my way to the ladies' room to make a quick pit stop before we left for D'Wayne's and he waved me in.

"Hey Bombshell," Tank grinned at me, "Want some good news?"

"Hell, yeah! I could use a little happy right about now!" I parked my ass on the edge of his desk.

"I got a call from the insurance company."

"And …? Stop playing with me Tank or I'll have to hurt you!" That'd scare him!

"_And_ … St. Francis faxed them your original records from the night Abruzzi died." Tank held out a copy to me and I jumped up and snatched it out of his hand.

According to Mark Cutler, Joe's lawyer, the DA planned to use my hospital records to show that Joe had had the opportunity to kill Abruzzi. Of course, they didn't have my real records, just the one that Tank had 'doctored' so that Rinaldi and Malfitano wouldn't buy my story that _I_ killed Abruzzi. The phony records proved I was innocent, but made Joe look guilty.

According to the doctored records, I'd been knocked out cold from pain meds and those records supported the DA's case. Ms. Montenegro, the bitch, wanted to prove to the jury that Joe had slipped out of the house while I was asleep, killed Abruzzi, and snuck back in again, all without me knowing it. The thing was, the Coroner had fixed Abruzzi's time of death, and I knew I had still been awake. I could testify that Joe had been with me.

So, all we had to do to prove it was get the original records back in the system. Right? No problemo! Ranger and I would just stroll into St. Francis, laugh and tell them a funny story about some well meaning Good Samaritan, who thought they were doing me a favor and hacked into the hospital's system to change all my records. I'm sure they'd see the humor and yuck it up right along with us. Right? Oh sure!

So, I did the next best thing. I went into the billing office, whining that my insurance company was giving me a hard time because there was a discrepancy in the records. No mention of hacking Good Samaritans. I kept my fingers crossed that they'd be willing and able to help me out. And sure enough, they did!

"Woo-Hoo!" I crowed as I read it. "This confirms that I didn't get any pain meds, only a local!" I ran around Tank's desk, threw my arms around him, and gave him a big wet smack on the cheek. "This is great! We just eliminated one major piece of the State's evidence!" Much to Tank's amusement, I did my happy dance around his office, sing-songing, "I'm gonna wi-in! I'm gonna wi-in!"

Tank narrowed his eyes and watched me dance around like a dork. "Am I missing something here?"

I stopped in mid butt wiggle and looked at him. "Huh?" Eloquent, I know.

"You're gonna win … what?" He eyed me suspiciously.

"Oh well, uh … um … Ranger and I have a little contest going over who'll prove Joe innocent first." I applied the KISS rule, keep it simple stupid. Everybody at RangeMan knew that Ranger and I were working together on this. Nobody at RangeMan knew the price Joe was paying, and I wanted to keep it that way.

"And the prize would be …?"

"No clue!" I said with a palms up, shrug thing. And that was the truth, too. Except for sex, I really didn't know what else Ranger wanted from me. I guess I was gonna have to sit down and ask him one of these days, huh? Probably I should know, so it didn't come as a big shock, just in case I lost. Probably I should come up with some dirty tricks to make sure I didn't. Lose that is. Probably I should get the hell out of there before Tank asked any more questions. So I hot footed it to the ladies' room.

The most damaging piece of evidence was the murder weapon, and the DA had the smoking gun … literally. That was our biggest problem. The gun had been collected from Abruzzi's car in the Farmers' Market parking lot when his body was found. The police had been able to trace it back to a private, out of state collection that had been stolen and word on the street had it that D'wayne had fenced the stolen goods for the thief. If we could get him to tell us who bought the gun, maybe, just maybe, that would lead us to the real killer. And if we got the real killer, Joe would be home free.

I came back to the here and now when our little caravan pulled to the curb a few doors from D'Wayne's place. Ranger's Mercedes was sandwiched between two RangeMan SUVs filled with Merry Men and weapons and God only knew what else. The street felt weird tonight, but I couldn't put my finger on why. The whole place was always dark and empty, except for the vehicles that belonged to D'Wayne and his crew. All the street lights had been shot out years ago and nobody could pay the power company employees enough to come into this combat zone to replace them.

For as dark as the rest of the street was, it looked like broad daylight at D'Wayne's. Every security light in the place was on. There were lights on the roof, on the top of the fence, over the doors, you name it. Music, loud enough to shatter windows, blared out of the building. The security gate was closed and the whole place looked locked up tight. My spidey sense was jangling off the hook but I couldn't tell what was wrong. All the Merry Men were on alert; everybody could tell that something was off.

We got out of our vehicles and the guys took up their positions while Ranger and I walked down the street to D'Wayne's. Junior and Zero drove the SUVs, so they stayed behind the wheels with the motors running. Cal and Hal, loaded down with automatic weapons, would come inside with us, and Binkie and Bobby, armed the same way, would take up positions outside. Hector got out of an SUV, winked at me, and disappeared into the dark.

"Steph," Ranger stopped before we got to the gate. "I don't like this; it feels hinkey. I want you to stay in the SUV with Zero."

I snorted. "No way in hell am I letting you talk to D'Wayne alone, Manoso. If you go in, I go in." And I turned on my heel and marched toward the security gate.

Ranger grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back. "I didn't think you'd go for it, but you can't blame me for trying. Look, don't put your hand on your gun unless you're ready to draw it, and don't draw it unless you're ready to pull the trigger. It sounds like party time in there and I don't trust those guys not to be using. They're all trigger happy anyway and I don't want us giving them any reason to start shooting. Somebody pulls a gun, you hit the floor, got it?" I could only nod.

Before we left my apartment, Ranger had clipped a holstered 9mm to my belt. It was bigger than my .38 but would pretty much be hidden by my jacket. I have to admit that I normally felt a little silly carrying a gun when I wasn't in a RangeMan uniform or out chasing a skip. But let me tell ya, right now, I was beyond tickled pink to feel the weight of it on my hip.

"No dogs," Ranger murmured to me, referring to the pit bulls that were D'Wayne's first line of defense inside the electrified, razor wire topped fence.

"Maybe he had them locked up because we were coming?" I said optimistically. Ranger just made a 'hmmm' sound.

I pressed the intercom on the gate and after a couple of seconds, the security cameras moved, scanning us, and the gate automatically clicked open. When I had come here by myself, two guys had come out to question me. I'd been patted down and my gun confiscated, a real show of power. Nothing like that happened this time, but I just chalked it up to professional courtesy. Of course, I really couldn't see Ranger allowing _anybody_, much less D'Wayne's clowns, to search him and take his weapons.

We stopped at the front door to get scanned again. The guys flicked the safeties off their weapons and dropped into firing position, one high, one low. Ranger nudged me aside a little so that I wasn't standing directly in the line of fire, and he positioned himself between me and the door. I wondered whether this was some sort of new urban etiquette.

The locks clicked and the door opened a couple of inches, but nobody showed up to usher us in. Ranger had his gun in one hand, the other flat on the door. He gave the guys a three count, then shoved it open. The music that was loud before, blasted out at us. Cal found the control panel right inside the door and turned it off, but I swear I could still hear it.

The hall was empty and without the music, the whole place was silent. Hal took point, followed by Ranger and Cal, and I brought up the rear. It looked like nobody was home, but somebody had to have unlocked the gate and the front door from the inside to let us in. The hair on the back of my neck was standing at attention and I drew my gun. Believe me, I was more than ready to use it!

We made our way down the dimly lit hall, past all the rooms filled with 'merchandise', to D'Wayne's man cave, the office where he kept all his toys. We arranged ourselves on either side of the doorway and Ranger reached over, pounded on the door, and called D'Wayne's name. Two seconds later we heard the unmistakable ratchet of a shotgun and the middle of the door splintered under the blast.

Hal shoved me into the nearest room and I hit the floor as ordered. There were more shotgun blasts, crashes and curses, running footsteps and the guys yelling, but thankfully no call of 'RangeMan down!' I started to push myself up off the floor and put my hand into something sticky. Ick! The room was pitch black, so I couldn't see what it was and I wiped my hand on my jeans.

A second later, the interior security lights came on and I squinched my eyes shut, the glare momentarily blinding me. When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself looking at a great huge lump of raw meat; the sticky stuff was the blood oozing out of it. My first thought was that it was food for the pit bulls.

Then I realized that the lump of raw meat had gold teeth and an eye.

I swear to God they heard me screaming in Philadelphia.

_**TBC …**_

A/N: Okay! So Steph is horny and Ranger is willing to help her out with that. What a guy! Should she take him up on his very generous offer? Should Ranger exert more pressure? Is sex the answer or will it create more problems for those two? So many questions … why don't _**you**_give me the answers. Let me know what you want to see happen.

I keep apologizing for the length of time between chapters, and every time I do and promise to do better, something else happens to screw with my good intentions. So while I'm really, really, sorry this took so long, I'm not going to apologize … just in case! LOL!

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I've tried to answer every one individually, but if you've left an anonymous review, I have no way of contacting you or answering your questions. Please feel free to PM or email me, I love hearing from readers.

Thanks again,

Stayce


	20. A Spark Of Love!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …you know the drill!**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

**When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.  
**_**Mark Twain**_

A/N: WARNING: This chapter is unedited! Any mistakes, misspellings, grammatical errors, etc. are mine all mine! There may well be a State Building in Trenton, but this one is a figment of my imagination. My Muse is still gone with the wind … TPD is gonna put out a BOLO for her … God help the cop who finds her though …

Chapter 20: A Spark of Love!

I'm not gonna whinge and whine about it, but the whole D'Wayne drama was pretty disgusting and I didn't handle it real well. I tried to get up off the floor, to get away from the awful mass of meat and gore, but I kept slipping in the blood and brain matter. I was up on all fours, trying to crawl away when one of the Merry Men, I'm not really sure who 'cause I only saw his boots, got me out of there. He wrapped an arm around my waist, hoisted me up like a sack and carted me right out the door, plunking me down around the side of the building with me still shrieking like a banshee.

I really don't know what made me stop screaming. Probably it was because you can't scream and barf your guts out at the same time. But RangeMan was like the Boy Scouts on steroids, they were _always_ prepared ... for everything. Bottles of water and alcohol wipes and paper towels magically appeared to clean up my hands and rinse my mouth. Somebody even handed me a breath mint. I felt rocky, but at least I was standing on my own two feet. And I wasn't screaming my head off. Anymore.

Ranger came out to check on me and tried to talk me into letting Zero take me home. Oh man, was that ever tempting. But I knew I needed to stick it out right there with all the guys. I had a tough time convincing myself that this was a coincidence, and my brain was running a mile a minute. Who unlocked the gate and door to let us in? Who killed D'Wayne and his crew? They were slaughtered just before we showed up. Was it an inside job? Did somebody know we were coming? Were we supposed to be targets, too? Was the shooter waiting for us? A million questions ran through my head.

A couple of the guys had taken off after the gunman and a couple stayed to search the building in case there was somebody hiding inside. All the guys, me included, were wearing the high tech mics and earpieces we used on distractions and Ranger called for a rendezvous. In less than two minutes, everybody assembled around us.

"Did you find him? Did you get the shooter?" I knew the answer just by looking at the grim faces of the Merry Men.

"No. He went down an alley and just disappeared. Looks like he had an escape route planned out ahead of time," Hector informed us.

I tipped my head toward the building. "They're all dead, aren't they?" I know … dumb question.

Bobby nodded. "D'Wayne, four of his guys and one of the dogs. All taken out with a shotgun." We'd all heard it ratchet before D'Wayne's office door exploded and I shuddered at the thought. "Sawed-off from the looks of the scatter pattern," he added.

"What about the rest of the dogs? Any sign of them?" I asked the group.

"No," Cal answered me. "Their crates are all in the basement, all empty. No sign of their handler, either."

"You think he was the shooter?" Hal asked.

"Doubt it. Can't see him shooting his own dog," Cal said thoughtfully. "He was the one who was so worried about them last time we were here." Cal was right; that guy had been way too concerned about his animals to shoot one down like that. I was pretty sure the guy's name was Antoine, and said so.

"Look, we don't know if we interrupted the shooter, or if he knew we were coming and was waiting for us, or even if there was more than one man," Ranger said to the guys, "so watch your backs. I don't think anybody around here called the cops, but you hear sirens, we're gone." Everybody nodded in agreement.

"We run one sweep through of the whole place, top to bottom. Take anything that even looks like it can provide info, phones, discs, computers … you know the drill," Ranger instructed. "Hector, look for a safe or some kind of hidey-hole where D'Wayne could have stashed records or tapes. I'm thinking he hedged his bets and had a little dirt on everybody he did business with."

I looked around at the guys. "Isn't that like … evidence tampering or something?" That brought a round of chuckles at my naiveté.

Hal clamped a heavy paw on my shoulder. "The cops aren't going to be doing a whole lot of investigation on this one, Steph. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't get any cooperation from the locals. Nobody is going to risk their own skin for a sick piece of shit like D'Wayne." He realized he'd cursed in front of me. "S'cuse me," he mumbled and even in the dark I could see his face turn red.

"Okay then." No cops … that changed everything. "Is there any way we can find out who let us in?" I told you my mind was racing. "Is there an internal security system? One with monitors, like RangeMan?" I looked back and forth between the guys.

Ranger's lips tipped up a little at the corners. "Good thought, Steph, but the discs are gone. I'm thinking the shooter grabbed them. We probably interrupted his clean up."

"Too bad we don't have time to fingerprint the place," Hal said and looked toward the front door a little wistfully. Who would have thought that great big, lumbering, Halosaurus would turn out to have the gentle touch of a world-class fingerprint expert? He heaved a sigh and trudged back into the building.

"How about out here?" I pointed to the security cameras at the gate and on the fence. "Is this one of those security systems that has tapes from the video cameras, like convenience stores have?" I asked.

Bobby nodded his head. "This system goes straight to DVD." He patted one of the pockets in his flack vest and grinned at me. "The shooter missed these."

"How about D'Wayne's cell phone and lap top? We could check the calls and have Lester dump the LUDs." Ranger cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Have you been studying up on investigative technique in your spare time?" Ranger tugged a lock of my hair. "I'm impressed."

"Don't be," I said with a sigh. "It just means that I've spent too many nights sitting in front of the TV." Ranger thought about smiling and slung his arm around my neck. "You okay with going back inside?"

"Just peachy!" I said brightly, trying to sound brave and determined when all I really wanted to do was run like hell in the opposite direction. Good thing my stomach was already empty.

"That's my girl!" He pressed a kiss into my hair and we walked back into the House of Horrors.

It turned out that the stuff that we collected from D'Wayne's really paid off for us. There were a couple of text messages on his phone from Antoine about the dogs; they were at the vet's. Antoine was in jail on some minor charge, waiting to be bonded out. Probably that saved his life. Lester dumped the LUDs on D'Wayne's phone and came up with a bunch of calls to and from a phone in the State Building, but hadn't found out whose phone it was, or what office it was in.

According to Ranger, D'Wayne's lap top held a real treasure trove of all kinds of stuff from searches to maps and emails, along with a huge number of music and porn downloads. I'm pretty sure Ranger was being sarcastic about the treasure trove part. Apparently D'Wayne had never met the 'delete' key on his computer, so there was a ton of crap to wade through. Ranger volunteered himself to take care of that particular chore, and since he was super-duper computer literate while I was … well, not, I had _no_ problem letting him handle that job.

Ranger and I decided that if somebody from the State Building had been calling D'Wayne on a regular basis, we needed to find out who that somebody was, and if they were connected to our investigation at all. Chances were it wouldn't lead to anything, but it just might give us a clue to who killed D'Wayne, or why. So it was worth the effort to find out whose phone it was.

Granted, people in D'Wayne's line of work generally didn't last very long, and not just in the business, I meant in life. We really needed to find out if his death, just minutes before he was going to tell us who had bought the gun that killed Abruzzi, was a coincidence … or not. If not, we really, _really_ needed to know how the hit man found out D'Wayne was going to give up the name of the buyer to us.

I decided that tracking down that telephone in the State Building was right up my alley. After all, all I had to do was call the number and ask whoever answered who they were and what department they were in. Right? Piece of cake! Okay, so I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

The first couple of times I called, the phone just rang and rang. Finally, somebody picked up and told me I was calling a pay phone. Naturally, they hung up before I could ask where the phone was located and when I called back, again nobody answered. Figured, didn't it?

I was sure that Lester would have known a real simple way to pin point where that pay phone was, probably by sweet talking some female employee at the phone company. But he was out on a job and there was no telling when he'd be back, and we all knew I wasn't really good at waiting around for anything.

So off I went to the State Building, a twelve story monstrosity located in the heart of downtown. I was on a mission to find that phone. I mean, how hard could it be to locate a pay phone? I put on comfy shoes, grabbed a bottle of water, and prepared to hoof it through the halls.

I parked my car in the underground garage and worked my way up. I had a plan of attack all worked out. I'd get off the elevator and stand at the end of the hallway, dial the number, and listen. Sounded like a great idea, right? By the time I hit the third floor the halls were getting crowded and noisy. I wound up walking the whole long length of the corridor, dialing the number and listening for a ringing phone. By the sixth floor I was already pooped and muttering curses under my breath, but on seven I finally hit pay dirt. I practically sprinted down the hall to the phone. Yup, I had found it! Hurray for me!

I was busy congratulating myself when my spidey-sence started to tingle. Not that the place really looked different or anything, because every hall on every floor looked exactly the same, but I had the strange feeling I'd been there before. I couldn't explain it, but the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up and this weird fight or flight sensation came over me, really creeping me out. I immediately glanced around, looking for whatever threat it was that set me off.

Then I noticed the lettering on the door directly across the hall from the phone and I found it ... the threat, that is. I was standing in front of the division of the Attorney General's office where Rinaldi and Malfitano had their office. Ugh! They were the last people I ever wanted to see again, well, Malfitano, at least. If I was truthful about it, it was more than just disliking him. The man scared the hell out of me. I made a quick note of the other offices on the floor and beat feet back to the elevator as fast as I could.

I paced in front of the bank of elevators and hopped on the first one that opened, instantly feeling better, safer. Of course, the damn thing went all the way up to the top floor and my stomach did that funny jolt that happens when you go the opposite way from what you expected. On the trip back down, elevator stopped on seven again and the doors slid open. I had a clear view of somebody talking on that pay phone. It only took a second for me to recognize that that somebody was my buddy, Detective Malfitano. And the wheels in my head started to turn.

I'm sure that Ranger would have told me that he smelled something burning. Those wheels weren't just turning, they were in overdrive … never a good thing. It was like my brain was going so fast that I couldn't seem to latch onto the thoughts as they whizzed through my head.

Malfitano was using that phone, he was in charge of the evidence collected at Joe's house, he had access to the evidence locker. Could he have planted the gun in Joe's basement? Could he be the one who bought the gun from D'Wayne? Could he have killed D'Wayne and his men? Did he know that I had been there? Would he come after me next? I could feel the hysteria bubbling up in my chest.

As if he read my mind, Malfitano turned and looked directly at me, recognition registering in his eyes. He slammed down the phone and headed for the elevator. I watched him run down the hall toward me and I shrank back into the corner, ducking behind the other people in the car as if I could get away from him. The doors closed right before he reached them and I heard him hit the wall with his fist and let loose a string of curses.

Could Malfitano have known from the expression on my face, just put two and two together? Could he somehow know that I figured out what he'd done? Oh my God! It could have been him all along! What if he killed Abruzzi and then set Joe up to take the fall? What if he slaughtered D'Wayne and his men because they could link him to the gun? If he knew that I knew, then my life wasn't worth diddly squat. I had to get the hell out of there as fast as I could.

Adrenaline pumping, I flew out of the elevator on the garage level like I'd been shot out of a cannon, and raced to my car. I beeped the locks open when I was still an aisle away, so focused on escaping from Malfitano that I never even noticed the guy who was lurking behind one of the support columns until it was almost too late.

The guy wore a hoodie, pulled so far down that his face was covered and he held his hands up to stop me. I swerved around him and kept on going. The last thing I needed right now was a mugger.

Over the thudding of my own heart I heard him whisper, "Hey, lady … lady…" and he caught up with me and grabbed my arm.

I yelped and spun around to face him. Backing up toward my car, I fisted my key ring in my hand, the keys stuck out between my fingers like Wolverine's claws. They made a good weapon and I was ready to use them. For once I really wished I had my gun; I sure wouldn't have had any problem pulling it.

"Shut up, lady, I ain't gunna hurt cha!" He flattened his back against the big support column, not trying to get any closer to me.

He pushed back the hoodie and when I looked at him more closely, my eyes almost popped out of my head. It was Antoine. I didn't exactly relax, but from the expression on his face, I could tell he was more scared than I was.

"I seen you at D'Wayne's. You that Rangeman's woman," he stage whispered to me and peeked around the column like he was afraid he was being followed. I knew the feeling.

I wasn't about to argue the finer points of my relationship with Ranger, at least not with Antoine, so I just nodded. "What are you doing here?" Was he following me too?

"Been up to Public Defenders." I knew it was on the same floor as Rinaldi and Malfitano's office. "Seen you get on the elevator. That cop chasing ya?"

"I don't know," I said cautiously. "Maybe." I eyed him, praying that he wouldn't make a move. "What do you want?"

"It what I don' want," he was constantly scanning the garage. "I don' wanna be dead," he hissed, finally looking at me. "I know wha' happen ta D'Wayne."

"Yeah, so?" Okay so I'm trying to be cool but I needed to hurry this along. I didn't exactly have time to chat and I edged toward my car, still worried that Malfitano would appear at any second.

"I got in-fo-ma-tion dat yo' want," he said slyly.

"About?"

"You was askin' D'Wayne who bought dat gun, right?"

"Right." Okay, so I was channeling Ranger.

"I be willin' ta tell you." He waited a beat. "Fo' a price."

What was it with men and prices? "And that price would be …?" The elevator door dinged open. I forgot to be afraid of Antoine and hugged the column with him. I didn't know who Antoine was worried about, but I was relieved when a clutch of people got off, none of them Malfitano.

Antoine blew out a breath. "You get yo' man to help me an' my dogs get outta Trenton an' get home, an' I tell you wha' yo' wanna know."

"How do I know you're not bull shitting me?"

"Cause I don't tell you da truth, yo' man kill me," he said impatiently. "It don' mattah who pull da triggah, I still wind up dead."

"Where's home?"

"Baltimore. Shoulda never left."

"I'll talk to him. How do I get in touch with you?"

"You don't. I call you."

I dug around in my purse and pulled out my bounty hunter business card. It had my cell phone number on it and I handed it to him.

Antoine looked at it and gave me a cocky grin. "I knew I knew you. You dat bombshell bitch, aintcha?"

I looked at him with as much bravado as I could muster. "And don't you forget it!"

The sound of the elevator opening made all my bravery disappear and we both plastered ourselves against the support column again. I did a quick head bop peek around the side of it and immediately slid down to the floor. Shit! Malfitano and Rinaldi had gotten off the elevator and were looking around the garage. Probably Malfitano wouldn't hurt me in front of Rinaldi, but I couldn't take that chance. I tried to figure out how to get to my car without them seeing me.

Antoine stared at me, then looked around the column to see what had freaked me out so much. He went rigid, then followed me right down to the floor. "Fuckin' shit, oh fuck, oh fuck …" He rocked back and forth a little, clearly panicked. "I'm a dead man!" he muttered. Oh shit! Antoine must be afraid of Malfitano too!

We huddled together at the base of the column, listening to their footsteps echoing across the garage, coming right toward us. Antoine actually went pale, his eyes darting around looking for an escape route. I wanted to ask him why he was so scared, but we needed to be quiet so we didn't give ourselves away.

A big passenger van pulled into the garage, cruising up and down the aisles looking for a parking spot. As it passed by us, Antoine seized the moment. He snatched the car keys out of my hand and leaped behind the van, using it as cover. He made it over to my car and in nothing flat he hopped in, started it up, and squealed up the nearest exit ramp, leaving me there like a sitting duck. Gone in sixty seconds! Less, actually.

Son of a bitch! If I ever laid my hands on that chicken shit, he wouldn't have to worry about whoever got to D'Wayne … I was gonna kill him … dead! I couldn't yell or run after him, I couldn't even breathe hard without attracting attention to myself. I just gritted my teeth and hunkered down behind the nearest car so I could peek through the windows to keep track of where the Malfitano and Rinaldi were headed.

The van pulled into the parking spot vacated by my newly stolen car and about a dozen laughing, chattering women poured out of it. Nobody seemed to notice when I attached myself to the happy group and positioned myself as far away as I could from the two men I was trying to avoid. We all strolled companionably toward the elevator. I ducked my head so that if the detectives looked in my direction, they wouldn't see my face and it wasn't until my chest started to ache that I realized I was holding my breath.

When we got to the elevator I slowly eased away from the group and slipped through the door to the stairway. Charging up the steps two at a time, I burst out onto the big open first floor and dove into the nearest ladies' room, locking myself in a stall. With shaking hands I pulled out my cell phone but, as my luck would have it, the damn thing was dead. I guess I'd run down the battery by calling that pay phone a million times. I resisted the urge to flush the useless POS!

Trying not to look obvious, I took a deep, calming breath and slunk out of the bathroom. Edging my way over to the Information Booth, I asked the uniformed police officer who manned the desk for the nearest pay phone. He looked at me funny as he pointed it out. I guess I really couldn't blame him. I must have looked a little wild-eyed and twitchy from waiting for Malfitano to leap out at me. The cop probably thought I was a junkie.

Ranger answered before the phone finished its first ring. "Jesus Christ, Stephanie, are you all right? Where are you?" I was surprised at how rough his voice was, how tense he sounded. If I hadn't known him better I would have said he was worried about me.

"Yeah, just a little freaked, is all. I'm at the State Building," I whispered. I didn't tell him I was plastered to the wall, trying to be invisible. "I have a little problem and I need somebody to come pick me up, quick!"

"We're already on our way, ETA is 4 minutes. How come your phone goes directly to voice mail?" he asked. "You had us all worried."

So he _was _worried. But how did he know I was in trouble? "I'm sorry, my phone's dead," I said with a sigh. "Why'd you call? What's going on?"

"The tracker in your pen gives us the State Building as your location, but the GPS device attached to your car went off the grid when it went into the river under the Route 1 Bridge. I was a little concerned that you were in it when it went for a swim," he said dryly.

I had to wonder if Antoine was the one swimming. "No, I'm fine. But … um … my car got stolen! Well, sorta."

There was a long pause. "How does a car get 'sort of' stolen?"

Ranger sounded different, clearer somehow. I heaved a sigh. "Long story. I was …" and a hand reached around me, took the phone away from me, and hung it up. I spun around, my hand balled into a fist, fully prepared to fight Malfitano who I just knew was standing behind me. Instead I found myself ready to take on Ranger and Binkie and Manny. My breath whooshed out of me and my knees almost buckled in relief.

If Ranger hadn't wrapped his arms around me and hugged me to his chest, I probably would have landed on the floor. "I can feel your heart pounding, Babe," he said, his cheek pressed into my hair. "What are you so scared of?"

I dragged in a ragged breath and didn't bother to wait for my heart rate to drop out of the stratosphere. I just pulled Ranger by the arm and tried to haul him toward the main entrance. "First off, we really need to get out of here! Fast!" I urged, looking around to see if I could spot Malfitano and trying not to sound hysterical. "Boy! Do I have a lot to tell you!"

The guys had to hustle to keep up with me as I practically ran out the front door, down the steps and out to the street. I swear I didn't breathe until I climbed into the RangeMan SUV that sat idling at the curb … in the no standing zone of course. Even the cop walking the block ticketing vehicles parked or standing in the tow-away zone acted as if the great big, shiny black SUV was invisible.

Ranger got behind the wheel and immediately slipped into his driving zone, listening while I babbled away, filling him and the Merry Men in on my afternoon's fun and games. Ranger and I had a strategy for situations like this one, where I was all worked up like that. He let me spew, get it all out of my system, spill everything I knew, and when I finally ran out of steam, he'd ask questions.

This time though, when I told him about Antoine stealing my car, Ranger held up one finger. It was like hitting my 'Pause' button. He pulled out his phone and put in a call to Hector, telling him to get over to my apartment and change the locks, just in case Antoine hadn't taken that swan dive into the river with my car.

Leave it to a security expert to zero in on the fact that Antoine had all my keys and could invite himself into my apartment anytime he pleased. That thought had never even crossed my mind. In the broad scheme of things that I had to worry about, that one never even got added to my list.

By the time I finished telling him everything, we were parked under the Route 1 Bridge, and I'd gotten strict orders to hunker down and stay put in the vehicle. I watched while Ranger and the guys joined Bobby, Zero, and Woody, and a bunch of cops who were all scanning the river, trying to spot my car, I guess. Ranger must have told the Merry Men that I was safe because all three suddenly seemed to relax a little. Bobby looked over and gave me a wink, and Woody made a kissy face in my direction when nobody was looking. Zero just rolled his eyes at Woody.

I heard sirens approaching and a rescue unit pulled up close to the water. A couple of guys got out and started suiting up in diving gear, getting ready to go into the river to search for the car and its driver. I sure didn't want anybody thinking that that driver was me; after all, if anyone went into the drink with the car, it was Antoine. On the way back to Haywood I used Ranger's cell phone to call 911 and report that my car had been stolen.

Ranger dropped me and the guys off at the office, telling me that he had some things to take care of and he'd be back in a little while. I immediately started running a background check on Malfitano. Rinaldi, the Special Prosecutor bitch, the judge, the DA … and anybody else I could think of, would get searches done on them, too. I had done a bang up job of digging out every little insignificant detail of every aspect of the lives of all the bad guys involved in our investigation. But I was kicking myself that it never dawned on me that I should be investigating the people who were supposed to be the good guys, too, the ones who were supposed to be on the side of law and order. I was determined to correct that mistake ASAP.

"Steph …"

"Hmmm?" I was pouring over the initial background search on Malfitano.

Ranger reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. "Steph …"

I almost jumped out of my skin when he touched me. "Oh, you're back. That was fast." Then I realized that it was dark outside and I'd been sitting here for hours. "Guess I was pretty caught up in this." I held up the report I was reading.

Ranger pulled up a chair so that we were practically sitting knee to knee and took both my hands in his. Uh-oh! This wasn't gonna be good. He hesitated a minute, like he was gathering his thoughts and choosing his words carefully. "I want you to know that you don't have to be afraid of Malfitano anymore," he said softly, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of my hands. "He's not a threat. He's not going to hurt you. You're never going to see him again."

My eyes widened as his words sank in and I swear my heart stopped beating. "Oh my God!" I breathed. "You killed him!" It was a statement, not a question.

Now let me tell you, it's not easy to surprise Ranger, but I had just managed to shock the shit out of him. Ranger's head snapped up and his eyes locked on mine. "What? No!" He looked at me like I was demented. "Why would you think I killed him?"

Okay, stupid, Stephanie! I blushed furiously and stumbled over my words. "Well … I … you … you said … in Belmar … and I thought … N-Never mind." I swear that jumping to conclusions is the only exercise I get, that's why I'm so good at it. I flapped my hands. "Just forget I said that … please? I'm sorry…" I covered my bright red face with my hands.

When he didn't say anything, I peeked at him through my fingers. He was shaking with silent laughter, a full 200 watt smile on his face. He pulled my hands away from my face and laughingly brushed his lips across mine. "You never disappoint, Babe." Just swell! I was amusing him again!

I tried to jump up but Ranger hauled me onto his lap and clamped his arms around me. "My fault," he chuckled. I guess I really tickled his funny bone. Not that I knew he had one. "I should have just told you that I went and had a little chat with Detective Malfitano."

"A chat is going to make him leave me alone? What exactly did you say to him?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"I told him that you, and your happiness and peace of mind, were very important to me. I explained to him that if anything happened to you, anything at all … if your car blew up, if you got unwanted visitors, if you broke a fingernail … I would come looking for him and it wouldn't be pretty when I found him."

I searched Ranger's face for any sign that he was making fun of me, but he was serious. "Wow!" was all I could think of to say. "Um … I'm sorry about that little … misunderstanding."

"You know," he said as he put his hand on my cheek and ran his thumb over my lips, "I always knew you weren't exactly a 'say it with flowers and candy' kind of girl."

I snorted. "But what? You just never realized you could say it with a dead body?"

"And this is why I love you," he said, kissing me hard and fast.

"So I'm important to you, huh?" I know, I know … I was fishing. I asked for it. "How come?"

He lifted me off his lap, handed me my purse, and pulled me toward the door. "Well for one thing, it's important to me that you're alive and kicking so that when I win our little bet, you can pay off!" and the ass grinned at me!

I swear my eyes bugged right out of my head and my jaw hit the floor! "Oh you big jerk!" I yelled at him, waving my arms. "You just had to go and ruin it, didn't you?" He really pissed me off and I saw red! I totally forgot all my training and swung a roundhouse punch at him. Of course I missed him completely and just spun myself in a circle, adding to my humiliation.

Ranger just smiled and shook his head. He bent down, wrapped his arms around the back of my thighs and lifted me up, tossing me over his shoulder. He lugged me to the elevator while I beat on his back with my fists.

"Come on Slugger, I'll give you a ride home and if you stop yelling, I'll even buy you dinner. Name your poison. What'll it be? Boneless, skinless boiled chicken and brown rice? Egg white omelet and plain, fat free yogurt? Bark and twigs?" More Ranger humor, what a side splitter. Except that he was probably serious.

But I had to give it to the man. Ranger certainly knew how to bribe me and I finally wound up forgiving him for being such an ass. And yes, I know I'm easy. But how could I not give in? We'd decided on the Route 1 Diner so we could both find something on the menu that we'd eat, and he ordered me a slice of chocolate cream pie _and _a piece of devil's food cake, with ice cream … and hot fudge! He may be a jerk, but at least he wasn't a stupid jerk.

I had polished off my bacon cheeseburger and onion rings and had just started on the cake when my cell phone rang. Antoine calling! Knowing that he had some valuable information that we wanted, had gone right to his brainless little head, and we all know that a little power is a dangerous thing. The only trouble was that Antoine had forgotten that he was the one in danger.

Antoine decided to up the ante and he tried to milk the deal for all it was worth. The cocky son of a bitch gave me a whole long list of additional demands that I relayed to Ranger, around mouthfuls of devil's food and hot fudge. Antoine wanted a safe house in Baltimore, a female bodyguard, a new car, a driver, new clothes, money, girls, drugs, you name it! He obviously had no idea who he was dealing with, but Ranger was about to educate him.

Ranger listened, chewing his naked salad thoughtfully, then took my phone, told Antoine that he could have whatever he wanted … as soon as he brought me back my car, and then Ranger hung up. He grinned at me, ticked off five seconds on his fingers, and my phone rang. Needless to say, it was Antoine, who fell all over himself telling me how _very_ sorry he was for taking my car and leaving me in a lurch. He even thanked Ranger for his offer of transportation to Baltimore for him and his dogs. Talk about an attitude adjustment!

Ranger quickly dispatched Tank and Ram to pick up Antoine and bring him to Haywood for safe keeping until arrangements could be made to get him to Baltimore safely. At least we wouldn't have to worry about Antoine disappearing.

Since I was car-less, again, Ranger drove me, and my piece of chocolate cream pie, home. He did his usual armed walk through of my apartment, looking for stalkers, psychos, dead bodies or any unpleasant surprises that might be waiting for me. He checked that my windows were locked, pulled the shades, then leaned against the living room wall, looking around the place.

"Looks good," he said. "Very different from when you were here before." It was the first time he'd really been here since I'd moved back in.

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it? Thanks to you, it looks like a grown up lives here!" He and some of the Merry Men had liberated my few pieces of furniture from Joe's house, and Ranger had been responsible for filling in all the blank spaces in between the dining room set and the coffee table. He hadn't gone shopping for the furniture himself, but he did have the store deliver all the same furnishings that were in the apartments on the fourth floor.

"My pleasure." He looked at me and arched an eyebrow. "I still remember your death cootie contaminated couch sitting out in the hall." He shook his head. "And that lumpy mattress." I felt my face turn red.

I remembered it too, and the night Ranger had collected on the de Chooch deal. It wasn't a topic I wanted to discuss, now or ever, so I changed the subject, not very gracefully though.

"You know how they say that you never really appreciate what you have until you don't have it anymore?" He nodded slowly. "Well, that works the other way around, too," I said softly. "You don't really know what you're missing until you finally have something, and then realize that you don't know how you ever lived without it."

He nodded again and took hold of my hand. "I learned that lesson a while ago," he said, sounding almost sad and I suddenly had the feeling that we weren't talking about furniture anymore. I watched his face as he lifted my hand and kissed the palm then curled my fingers over the kiss, but his face didn't give away his emotions like mine did.

We stood like that for a minute, then he shook his head like he was clearing it and he handed me my new keys. I had two shiny new dead bolts and a floor lock, a small metal rod that I could flip with my foot and it slid into a hole in the floor, preventing the door from opening even if the deadbolts were unlocked.

"Gee," I said brightly, looking at the floor lock, "I guess you're not going to be able to break in anymore, huh?" I was trying to lighten the mood.

Ranger gave me his wolf grin. "I wouldn't bet money on that if I were you."

He pushed off the wall and backed me into the foyer and against the door, his hands splayed on my ribs. Bending, he brushed a light kiss across my lips and whispered, "You should know by now that nothing stops me from getting what I want." He slid one arm around my back, the other around my waist, pulled me against his chest and kissed me senseless. His hand slid down to my ass and he pressed me flush against him, demonstrating exactly what it was that he wanted. God help me, I wanted it too.

When he finally let me go, I was so dizzy and breathless that I had to put a hand on the wall to steady myself. He was halfway out the door and he turned. "I think you and I should take Antoine to Baltimore ourselves. That's where Abruzzi's family lives; we can check them out while we're down there. Pack enough for a couple of days, we'll leave tomorrow night."

"Oh, okay," I mumbled a little dumbly, still not recovered from that kiss.

"We're going to use aliases, so be sure to leave all of your ID home. Bobby will have a whole new set for you tomorrow morning."

"So what are our names gonna be?"

"Marc and Samantha."

"I like Sam. What's my last name?"

"Same as mine."

"Huh?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Marc Pardo. We'll be on our honeymoon." He gave me a full 200 watt-er and was gone before I could move.

I was gonna kill him!

TBC …

A/N: So what's up with Ranger? He's chatty and laid back, he's laughing and making jokes … okay, so they're Ranger jokes, but still … Do you think he's up to something? Sending mixed messages? Trying to keep Steph off balance? And what's with this traveling together as a married couple? Could be interesting!!!!

I apologize for not responding to every review. Time just got away from me since I was determined to post today. Please know that every single review is precious to me! That said, please remember that I'm still a review whore. Without the Muse around, reviews fuel the fire!

See? I'm not about begging and bribery! LOL!

Thanks again,

Stayce


	21. Gimme, Gimme Some Lovin!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

**It's so easy, To think about Love, To Talk about Love, To wish for Love, **

**But it's not always easy, To recognize Love, Even when we hold it.... In our hands.  
****Jaka **

Chapter 21: Gimme, Gimme Some Lovin'!

We'd just finished a late dinner in Ranger's apartment and since I always felt guilty leaving the clean up for Ella, I'd rinsed the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher, then wiped down the counter top and washed my hands. I was folding the kitchen towel when Ranger came up behind me, took my left hand and slipped the wedding band onto my ring finger.

I jumped back and yelped, shaking my hand like he'd put one of those giant hissing cockroaches on it. "Yow!" I hauled at the ring, trying to get it off my finger. It wouldn't budge.

"Doesn't it fit?" Ranger watched me wrestle with it. I shook my head and stuck my finger in my mouth, covered it with spit, then tried to pull the ring off. I swore my finger would come off before that damn ring did.

"No! Way too tight!" I said, still struggling. I think I was starting to hyperventilate. I held my hand out to him. "Get it off me! Get it off me!" Can you say 'over reaction'? Panic was setting in.

"Well, it went on easily enough." Ranger grabbed my hand and looked at my ring finger, which had swollen up from all the pulling. He took me over to the sink, stuck my hand under the water and added liquid soap.

"That's the problem! They always do, and then you can't get out of it, and then you're stuck, and then you turn into somebody that you don't even recognize …" I babbled while he lathered up the soap. The ring slid right off into his hand and he put it on the counter top. I backed away from it like it was going to bite me and sagged down onto one of the bar stools.

"Stephanie, it's only a piece of jewelry. You acted like I slapped shackles on you."

"That's exactly what it is! It looks harmless, but put that on and you're a prisoner!" Oh my God! I was spilling my guts to Ranger. I had to shut myself up and I slapped my hand over my mouth.

Ranger cocked an eyebrow at me. "I thought you and Morelli talked marriage." He leaned back against the counter and folded his arms over his chest.

I took a deep, calming breath and got a grip. "Joe and I talked _engagement_ not marriage …" Somehow or another, that made perfect sense to me.

Ranger looked like he wanted to smile. "Engagement? Isn't that where one person says, 'Will you _marry _me?' and the other one says, 'Yes.'? Aren't the two things kind of connected?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. For most people, I guess. For us it was gonna be more like a … a trial subscription. If we didn't like it, we could write cancel on the invoice. No harm, no foul."

He shook his head in an 'I don't get it' kind of way and took a couple of Coronas out of the refrigerator, opened them, stuck lime wedges in the necks, and handed me one. I'd had two glasses of wine with dinner, my limit, but I really, _really _needed this beer and I look a long pull.

"Coulda fooled me," he said with a shrug. "I thought you wanted to get married again."

I choked on the beer. "Who? Me? What would make you think that?" I squawked and wiped my mouth with the paper towel he handed me.

"You're a Burg girl," he said like that explained everything. "You're genetically predisposed to marriage and kids and white picket fences. And you were with Morelli, he's as much Burg as you are. Marriage is what Burg people do."

"Oh! No, no no! You forget," I waved my arms around, "I tried marriage once; it lasted for all of twenty-seven minutes. That's what I got for trying to force myself into that Burg mold." I started to pace around the kitchen. "I was _so_ anxious to fit in, to do what all my friends and family did, to do what everybody expected me to do, HELL, to do what _I _expected me to do, that I let myself choose the wrong guy." I took another long pull on my beer. "I actually had myself convinced that I was in love with that scumbag!"

I turned around and pointed my empty beer bottle at Ranger. "After it was all over, I went to church and lit a dozen candles and thanked God that I married a slimeball like Dickie, and not some nice guy."

Ranger looked at me and nodded, then handed me another beer which I guzzled. "You mean it was easier to walk away from a guy who was a bastard, than it would have been from some nice guy who was just the wrong guy."

"Yeah, probably I woulda felt guilty and stuck around so that I wouldn't hurt him, and then there would have been kids, and I woulda _really_ been stuck there, for the rest of my life." I shuddered and downed half the bottle of beer at the chilling thought.

"My marriage wasn't much better," Ranger said quietly. "But at least Rachel and I both knew that we didn't love each other and that it wasn't going to be a forever kind of thing. We were doing it for the sake of the baby, so we were prepared to end it."

"You married Rachel for all the wrong reasons too, but they were noble reasons, so you were doing the right thing for all of you." I practically slurred as I threw the empty bottle away. That made sense, didn't it?

"I shouldn't have gotten her pregnant in the first place. I was young and arrogant, totally self-involved and completely irresponsible. Hopefully I've matured since then." He sounded like he was angry with himself for being human.

"Ahhhhhh, shoulda, woulda, coulda!" I waved it off and opened the refrigerator to reach for another beer. "Ohhh, all gone!" I said sadly, and stuck out my bottom lip to pout.

"And that would be a good thing," he said with a smile and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Got any tequila?" I grabbed a lime wedge and bit into it, sucking the tart juice. Ranger fixed his attention on my mouth, his eyes glittering black in the kitchen lighting.

"Oh, I think you've had more than enough to drink, Babe," he said with what sounded like regret in his voice. "We've gotta get you to bed." He took me by the shoulders and marched me out of the kitchen.

"Hey!" I stopped short. "Are you just plying me with liquor to get me into bed quicker?" I turned and glared at him. "Hey!" I said again with a loopy grin, "That rhymes!" I snorted as I laughed. "I'm so talented!"

"That you are," he ran his thumb over my lips. "But when I get you into bed again, I want you wide awake and stone cold sober." He bent to brush his lips over mine.

"So you wanna get me back into bed, do ya? You think I'm so horny I'm ready to screw ya?" It took me a couple of seconds, but then I went off into a fit of giggles. "I did it again!" I swear Ranger rolled his eyes as he took my hand and tugged me out of the apartment and onto the elevator.

I don't remember the ride home or getting undressed or climbing into bed, but when I woke up, I was wearing a t-shirt and panties and not the same t-shirt I'd been wearing that night. The clothes I had worn the day before were in my hamper, and my shoes were neatly side by side on the floor of my closet. I wondered if Ranger realized that he made one hell of a lady's maid.

The coffee pot was filling, there was a McDonald's bag on the kitchen counter, and a bottle of Advil right next to it. If Ranger was trying to seduce me, he was hitting all the right buttons. I sat there, stuffing fries into my mouth and washing them down with the Coke, thinking about all the stuff I had to get done today. I said a silent prayer of thanks that I wasn't hugely hung over, just head-achy and dull.

I showered and dressed, packed my bag for my 'honeymoon', collected Rex and took him over to Mary Lou's house. Rex and Mary Lou's boys had come to a meeting of the minds. Now that they didn't squeeze him until his little black eyes bulged out of his head, he didn't try to amputate their little fingers, and everybody seemed to have fun. I really think he enjoyed his vacations over there.

I carted his cage into the kitchen and parked him on the counter. "Thanks for taking him, Lou."

She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and gave me a hug. "No problem, Steph. You'd baby sit my kids if I asked you to." We both knew that she was joking. At least I thought she was.

"Um-hum, yup, sure thing," I said, hoping this wasn't leading up to something. I mean I love Mary Lou's kids and all, but …

"So where are you off to?" Lou asked as she poured coffee for us.

"Baltimore, just for a couple of days." I said around a bite of coffee cake.

"What's in Baltimore?" she asked, sipping her coffee.

"That's where Ranger and I are going on our honeymoon," I said with a straight face, and then ducked as she spewed coffee all over the table.

The expression on her face was priceless. "OH MY GOD!" she squealed and jumped out of her chair. "You married Ranger? You eloped? When? Why didn't you tell me? What's your mother gonna say? Oh! I wanna be there when you tell her!" Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tease her like that.

I waved my hands back and forth in a 'No' gesture. "It's a cover for an investigation," I said with a sigh.

She froze in mid-shriek, glared at me, and slumped down in her chair. "Well _that_ was just mean! And here I was, all ready to throw a wedding reception for you guys."

"Lou, promise me you won't say anything about it to my mother or she'll be renting the Polish/American Hall again. She had this ... epiphany," I held my hands, palms out, and rolled my eyes up to the ceiling, "and she's decided that Morelli was the wrong guy for me all along, and that no way in hell was Angie Morelli ever gonna be my mother-in-law!" I took in a slow, deep breath. "Now she thinks that 'that nice boy Carlos' is my last chance at happiness," I leaned on the table, chin in hand and waited while Mary Lou hooted.

"Well, she's got good taste. And you can't tell me that that thought hasn't crossed your mind," Lou said with an evil smile on her face. "Of course, you'd never be my next door neighbor and I wouldn't ever see you again because you two would never get out of bed. But married or not, I can SO see the two of you together." She waggled her eyebrows at me.

"Oh, cut it out. I am absolutely NOT getting physically involved with that man ever again! Two strikes and you're out. Cross my heart!" And I did.

"Riiiight!" She grinned at me. "SO, are you two gonna have to be all lovey-dovey in public? Are you going to be all kissy face? Did you pack all your sexy undies? Are you gonna have to share a bed? Oh …" she gasped and jumped up from the table. "I have this lace nightgown …"

"Looouuuuuu!" They probably heard that whine in Kansas.

I finally got to RangeMan about noon, just in time for the briefing and planning session for our little trip to Baltimore. Ranger had a bunch of clients to take care of, so I was on my own for this one. I walked into the conference room where Ella had laid out lunch for us, and was greeted with a chorus of 'BowChickaWowWow'. I rolled my eyes, but I'm pretty sure I still turned purple with embarrassment.

Apparently, all the Merry Men knew about our 'honeymooners' cover story and Lester had a field day teasing me about consummating my marriage, telling me to be gentle with Ranger, asking if I wanted to borrow his fur lined cuffs and silk scarves and … other stuff. I put my foot in it and told him that I'd get my own toys, thankyouverymuch. That set him off and I didn't think I'd ever hear the end of it.

Bobby finally gave Lester a smack in the back of his head that pretty much shut him up, but didn't stop him from sidling up behind me and asking if I wanted his copy of the Kama Sutra. I let him get close enough and then hit him in the ribs with my elbow as hard as I could. Of course, a bullet could bounce off those abs of his, so I didn't do any damage, but at least he 'oof-ed' in surprise.

When everybody finished eating and teasing, they filled me in on the plans for delivering Antoine to Baltimore. It wasn't a long trip, so Cal, Ram and Hector would take the dogs and head south in a couple of hours. They'd check out the safe house, the security systems, and monitoring devices. Ranger and I would transport Antoine in our SUV and at some point transfer him over to the Merry Men for babysitting.

The agreement was that after he got to see his mother and other family members, Antoine would tell us what we wanted to know about the gun. He's stick around in Baltimore a couple of days, just to make sure nobody from Trenton had followed him, then he was going to take off to someplace in South Carolina and hide out with relatives.

Ranger made it crystal clear to Antoine that if he tried to pull anything funny, he'd be tracked down, his sorry ass dragged back to Trenton, and he'd be tied to a light pole on Stark Street where whoever bumped off D'Wayne would probably use him for target practice. Antoine might be a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them and he was dedicated to keeping himself alive. He'd seen Ranger in action and was smart enough to fear him.

I went over my new identity with Bobby. I was a newly wed, Samantha Pardo, from a small town in Washington. He gave me a driver's license, social security card, credit cards, library card, insurance information, a dental appointment card, all the little things a woman carries in her purse. I don't even want to know how he got hold of receipts from a hair salon and drug store in my 'home town'. But this is RangeMan … their idea of 'always be prepared' always goes kind of overboard.

Lester gave me a small, flat box that held a little gun that I could wear in an ankle holster or carry in a purse. He gave me a box of bullets for my .38 and asked me if I had cleaned it in the last century. I gave him a pissy face and reminded myself that probably I should do that one of these days.

Hector gave me a high tech microphone and earpiece set up, a camera for surveillance photos, a bunch of stick on mini-microphones for illegal eavesdropping purposes, and a small cross necklace with a GPS worked into the back of it. Wasn't that like sacrilege or something? Really though, at this point I wouldn't have been surprised if Q had walked in and given me a wristwatch that turned into a submarine. I guess I shouldn't have watched that James Bond marathon last weekend, huh?

"Hey guys, isn't this kind of overkill? I mean, it's not like we're going to be partying with the Abruzzis or anything." I looked back and forth between Bobby and Hector and Lester.

"About that, Bombshell," Lester piped up. "There's going to be a big charity event in Washington, D.C. on Saturday night. Politicians, society types, movie stars, celebrities, you name it." He handed me the society page from the Washington Post. "The Abruzzis are big contributors and they're all going to be there. And _I_," he said proudly, "got you and Ranger an in."

My jaw dropped and my eyes glazed over as I read the list of the rich and famous that we were going to be rubbing elbows with. I wondered if it would be considered low class to bring an autograph book. Then it hit me, "Lester, I don't have anything to wear to something like this. This is waaaaay outta my league!"

He waved his hand, "No worries. I made sure that was all taken care of, Steph. Your clothes are upstairs."

I jumped up out of my chair and flung my arms around Lester. "Thank you, Les! I can't believe it! This is every girl's dream! Brad Pitt? Hugh Jackman? JOHNNY DEPP! We're through here, right?" Before they could answer me, I was out the door and halfway down the hall.

I raced to the elevator and mashed the button, practically bouncing with excitement. This was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. There would be people at this gala that I'd only seen in the movies or on TV or the cover of People Magazine. I was beyond excited.

The elevator pinged open and I flew on, bouncing right off Ranger's chest. He grabbed my arms to steady me. "Whoa, Steph! Is the building on fire?" He gifted me with a smile.

"Lester just told me about the thing in Washington and that we're going to go and all the stars who'll be there and he got me clothes … well, you too, and they're upstairs." I pointed up. I was really doing a lot of babbling lately.

"Good, he was able to arrange it. I didn't want to say anything to you, just in case it didn't pan out. Lester has lots of friends, but they're usually in _low_ places." Ranger chuckled and aimed his fob at the control panel. I was so excited that I was vibrating and Ranger slipped his arm around my waist and hugged me.

Ranger couldn't unlock the apartment door fast enough and I didn't wait for him, just charged straight ahead. Two long garment bags were draped over the back of the living room sofa and I grabbed the nearest one and unzipped it. It was men's clothes. "This one is yours," I called to Ranger who had stopped in the kitchen.

I took the other bag and unzipped it carefully, not wanting to ruin whatever was waiting for me inside. I blinked a couple of times at what I saw, and then pulled the clothing out of the bag to get a better look. Ranger came into the room and I held the outfit up in front of me to show him. "I'm gonna kill Lester."

Black pants, white shirt, a gold tie, and a royal blue vest. Embroidered over the left breast was 'Saint Regis Hotel'. There was a lanyard with an ID card hanging on top of the vest. 'Samantha P. – Waitstaff' was printed under a picture of me, done up in full slut mode for a distraction job. Good thing it was only a head shot. In the bottom of the bag were black socks and the ugliest pair of black non-skid soled shoes I'd ever seen in my life.

"I'm going to the party of a lifetime as a WAITRESS?" I dropped the clothing and headed for the door. "He's dead meat!"

I blew past Ranger on my way to find Lester the Louse, murder in my eye, I'm sure. He reached out and snagged me around the waist, lifting me right off the floor. "Let me go. That man must die!" I yelled. My back was pressed against his chest and I could feel Ranger laughing. He carted me over to a chair and sat down, pulling me back against him, his chin on my shoulder.

"Glad you think it's so funny! That was a lousy trick," I sulked, then turned my head to glare at him. "Did you know about this?" I challenged.

Ranger held up his hand, "No! Swear to God!" But he was snickering.

"And don't forget, you get to be a waiter, too!" That shut him up.

"Ouch! I haven't done that since I was in Miami and needed money to go to prom." I swear I think he shuddered.

"Oh I hope he enjoyed himself! He's gonna suffer, I'm gonna … I'm gonna put an ad in the personals column and find him a gay lover! I'm gonna tell people that he signed up for a sex change operation or he still sucks his thumb or he wears women's underwear … Maybe…" I was on a roll! "Oh … how about he still lives with his mother or he has herpes or …"

"Okay, I tell you what," Ranger chuckled. "When this is all over, how about we go out and paint the town? Broadway show, Atlantic City, dinner, dancing, you name it. Whatever you want to do, wherever you want to go. The night'll be yours."

I sat stiffly on his lap with my arms crossed over my chest like a cranky kid. "Can we go in a limo?"

"If that's what you want, sure. But you have to let Lester live." I shrugged reluctantly.

"Will you take pictures with me?" I knew I was kind of pushing it.

"If I must," he said after a couple of seconds.

"You must."

"You strike a hard bargain."

"Thank you. Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment," I sniffed.

"You know I'd do anything for you, don't you?" he said softly, changing the whole tone of the conversation.

I whipped around to look at him, but before I had a chance to say a word, he patted my butt to make me stand up so he could pull out his phone. It was a short conversation ending with, 'If you value your life, you'll leave now!' He had to be talking to Lester.

He snapped his phone shut and turned to me. "Well, Lester thought of everything." He took my hand and pulled me toward the door.

"Where are we going?"

"Waitstaff lessons," he grimaced.

We spent the next couple of hours learning how to carry plates, serve, pour wine, clear and all that stuff. What a pain in the butt! Really though, if we really _had_ to do this, I knew that it was important that we fit in and not attract attention to ourselves. We'd be there to observe, to get a good look at all the members of the Abruzzi clan and I was willing to do anything that might help us to figure out who killed Eddie. And yes, I was still gonna be killing Lester. After all, I never really promised not to.

The guys loaded up and took off to pick up Antoine's dogs before they headed for Baltimore. Ranger, Antoine, who'd been kept in a secure room next to the gun range, and I, followed a couple hours later. I was on pins and needles, but I couldn't tell you why. It was like my spidey-sense was short circuiting and I kept getting these little zings down my spine. I thought that maybe it was like an early warning system, trying to tell me that there was big trouble ahead. Really though, more likely it was just sleep deprivation.

For some strange reason, I just hadn't been sleeping real well lately. Yeah, yeah, I know, hard to believe! But let's face it, it had been one hell of a couple of months and I was beginning to think that everything was catching up with me. Even though my body was exhausted, my brain was in overdrive and just refused to shut down.

I had been on one long emotional roller coaster ride, and it left me feeling mentally and physically battered and bruised. I swear to God I had emotional whip-lash from all the sudden direction changes my emotions had been jerked in. I felt like I was just one, great big, exposed nerve.

Every time I closed my eyes, I replayed some awful scene on the inside of my eyelids. I saw the lump of raw, bloody meat that had been D'Wayne, the look on Malfitano's face when he recognized me on the elevator; the way Joe looked as he had been taken away in handcuffs, the smile in Ranger's eyes as he gently teased me in the conference room. And with every episode, I felt those emotions all over again … horror, fear, heartbreak and total confusion.

But me being me, I should have been out cold while we drove down I-95 on the way to Baltimore. It was dark, Ranger was in his driving zone, a classical music CD playing softly. But I was as wide awake as if I'd overdosed on No-Doz. Of course, Antoine was stretched across the back seat, ear buds plugged in, rapping along to his i-Phone and shoveling chips, soda, and candy into his face. He was driving me nuts!

Still, any time I thought about Antoine telling us who bought the gun that was used to kill Abruzzi, I wanted to do my happy dance. That major piece of information just might help me win the competition that Ranger and I had going. Of course I had to restrain myself … at least until I won!

I really didn't think it would be too smart for me to tip off Ranger that I was still hell-bent on winning, either. He'd been acting so different lately, and I really couldn't figure out if he was sincere, or if he was maybe trying to schmooze me, throw me off balance so I wouldn't be on top of my game. Ranger told me a couple of times that he was an opportunist, and since Ranger never lied to me, I guess I should believe him, huh?

And really, I knew better than to count my chickens before they hatched. I had to admit that a great big part of me was afraid that Antoine was scamming us. He really wasn't somebody that you could trust. After all, this was the guy who stole my car just to save his own ass. He didn't think about _my _ass at all! Okay, so that came out wrong, but you know what I mean!

And then I had Malfitano lurking in the back of my head. Part of me was still shaking in my shoes, scared stiff of the guy even though Ranger said that he'd warned the detective to stay away from me, to leave me alone. Not that I doubted Ranger, but I wasn't so sure that the cop was smart enough to take Ranger's threats seriously. Malfitano struck me as being badge heavy, the kind of cop who thinks he can play by his own rules, the kind of cop he'd accused Joe of being.

I mean, I hadn't seen him since I snuck out of the garage at the State Building, but I'd been looking over my shoulder ever since. Still and all, I didn't trust him either and if he was part of this whole Abruzzi mess, I really couldn't afford to let my guard down.

And then I circled back to Ranger again. He was like a different person these days, smiling, laughing, joking even. What was up with that anyway? Ranger didn't have a sense of humor, hell, he didn't even have a funny bone! He was a guy who _thought_ about smiling, not one who yukked it up. Suddenly, he was acting … I don't know, playful? Is it any wonder I was suspicious?

I mean, naturally I played along, didn't call him on it. But after the initial shock wore off, I gotta tell ya, I could really get to like this guy… laid back, relaxed, fun to be with, _talkative_. I could almost believe he was trying to show me another side, stripping himself bare … hmmm, naked Ranger … Wait! What was I saying?

Anyway, instead of being asleep, I sat there twisting my bright, shiny, brand new wedding ring around and around, wearing a rut in my finger. I hadn't worn a ring on my left hand since I'd divorced the Dick, and even though I knew this whole set up was all make-believe, it was another surreal experience to add to the list.

We changed highways, backtracked, and even had a chase car behind us just to make sure we weren't being followed. So it was almost 8pm when we pulled into a McDonald's just inside the Baltimore city limits and Ranger parked our silver Sequoia next to a big black SUV.

On cue, we all opened our doors and got out of our vehicles at the same time. Ram, Cal and Hector got out of the Suburban; Ranger, Antoine, dressed in RangeMan black, and I, got out of the Sequoia. Antoine just blended in with the Merry Men and the four of them, laughing and chatting, walked across the parking lot and into the McDonald's together. Unless somebody was paying very close attention, nobody could tell that Antoine hadn't gotten out of that Suburban.

"Can we go to the drive-thru? I missed dinner and my stomach is digesting itself." I said as Ranger turned the key in the ignition.

"How about we start the honeymoon instead, Mrs. Pardo?" Ranger said with a grin.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" I fluttered my eyelashes at him flirtatiously before I caught myself and realized that I was playing with fire.

"If I'm hungry, I know you must be starving. The hotel we're booked into has a good restaurant. Let's go check in and I'll take you to dinner. You need to keep your strength up for our wedding night!" He gave me his wolf grin.

"Not tonight, dear. I've got a headache," I snorted, and we both laughed.

Okay, so this might not be so bad after all. I'd prepared myself for a Motel 6 or some nondescript place like we stayed in when we went to Virginia to rescue Dougie and Mooner. So I was really surprised when we checked into a very modern boutique hotel built right on a pier in Baltimore Harbor instead. I wondered who I had to thank for these reservations. Maybe Lester was trying to make things up to me?

Whoever was responsible, we had a nice two room suite with a small balcony overlooking the harbor. It wasn't the Presidential Suite, or anything like that, but something a little special, like honeymooners would want. It was done in bright colors with very modern furnishings, and my favorite, a big, marble bathroom. The hotel gave us a split of Champagne and a silver dish filled with chocolate dipped strawberries. Yum!

A suite made sense since we needed someplace private to meet with Antoine and the Merry Men. It had two work stations so there was plenty of room to set up both our laptops and printers. I could do any necessary research and Ranger could stay in touch with RangeMan. After all, we couldn't forget why we were really here.

Actually, I could only find one problem with the place. There was only one bed. Granted, it was king-sized, but still and all… Being in the same room with Ranger and a bed was always a dangerous thing. I had tried real hard not to think about playing newly wed with Ranger. That was dangerous territory, too.

I'd been plied with wine, and filet mignon and sautéed mushrooms and roasted asparagus and I almost wasn't able to finish my chocolate mousse. Almost. All things considered, this fake honeymoon was going a whole lot better than my real one with Dickie had. He'd gotten so drunk at the reception that when we finally got to the hotel room and got into bed, he climbed on top of me and passed out. It was all over except for the shouting … well, cursing. Can you say 'omen'?

Anyway, we still had to figure out the sleeping arrangements. "So, where are you gonna sleep?" I asked Ranger when we were back in our suite. I glanced over at him from where I stood in front of the dresser, taking off my jewelry.

He was lounging on the bed, leaning back against the headboard, legs stretched out, ankles crossed, watching me. "With my wife, of course." He patted the bed next to him and gave me his full on, 200 watt smile.

"My, what big teeth you've got, Grandma." I sniped sarcastically.

He fixed me with his eyes. "All the better to _eat_ you with, my dear," the innuendo just dripping from his voice.

I swallowed hard and rolled my eyes to camouflage the hot flash. "Yeah, well, I'm not Little Red Riding Hood, and the Big Bad Wolf is _not_ eating me!" I said with a defiant toss of my head.

And then I realized what I said. Ranger smirked and I turned bright red. "I'll take the living room couch." I said more quickly than I intended. I pulled open the dresser drawer to get my pajamas, but I'd opened his by mistake. Socks, handkerchiefs, t-shirts, oh hell, no underwear. I slammed the drawer shut, and fumbled with the next one. I heard him chuckle as I grabbed my pajamas and fled into the bathroom.

I took my time washing my face and brushing my teeth, and changed into my pink satin jammies. The top was a short- sleeved shirt with little satin covered buttons, and the bottoms were little boy shorts. They were cute, not particularly sexy, and they covered a lot more of me than my usual panties and tank top. If I was going to share this room with Ranger, I sure as hell didn't want to give him any ideas. God knows, that man had enough of his own without any help from me!

I opened the bathroom door and found Ranger leaning on the outside of the door frame. His forearms were braced at shoulder level and his hair was loose. He was barefoot and shirtless and his pants were partially unzipped, making my eyes focus on that line of fine black hair that led down to one of his best assets. I swear to God, my eyes glazed over and I stopped breathing. Ranger had pulled out all the seductive stops, and I was his for the taking.

He bent down and kissed me, and I felt my toes curl. I wondered how long it would take me to get him undressed. After all, he wasn't wearing any undies. That would help, right? Then my inner Jersey Girl reared up and gave me a mental slap upside the head, ruining all my fun.

'_Do you really think that this gorgeous, sexy leopard will be changing his spots … for you?_' She pep-talked. '_Honey, you'll fuck like bunnies, have a great time, and no matter what the outcome of your investigation, when it's over, Ranger will be gone.'_

I wanted her to shut up, but she kept right on blabbing. _'Even if he doesn't leave town, which he probably would because he's a guy and it's easier, he'll pull back, not come around, not call, maybe even tell you to make up with Morelli. Sweetie, your heart couldn't take that again.'_ Well, no shit!

I got a grip and took a step back. "All yours," I said brightly, as if nothing had happened. I went to the closet and hung up my dress, then pulled a blanket and pillow from the top shelf. When I turned around, Ranger was right behind me. He took the blanket and pillow out of my arms and tossed them back into the closet.

"Okay," he said. "You win." I could hear the resignation in his voice. "But nobody's sleeping on the couch. I'll stay on my side of the bed and you stay on yours. But I'm not going to be responsible for my actions if you fondle me while I'm sleeping."

"I didn't fondle you!" I yelled at his back as he went into the bathroom. I'm pretty sure he was grinning.

That bed was the size of a small lake so I figured that it'd be easy for me to stay on my side, and Ranger to stay on his. I hopped in, turned off the light and snuggled down, hoping I'd be asleep before Ranger came out of the bathroom. No such luck, of course. I could see in the dim light that he was wearing sleep pants though, and for some reason, that made me feel a whole lot better.

I came awake slowly. I was warm and comfy and I just didn't want to open my eyes. It would have been so lovely to just doze off again and I cuddled back down into my cocoon. It took about a minute for me to realize that I was in the middle of the bed, being cocooned by Ranger. We were spooned together, and the heat that radiated off of his body almost lulled me back to sleep.

His biceps was my pillow and his left hand had slipped under my satin top to cup my breast. He had one leg slung over mine and he pressed, long and hot and throbbing, against my butt cheek. Tightening his arms around me, he hugged me to his naked chest.

"Morning," his voice gruff with lust.

"You're fondling me," I murmured as his thumb drifted back and forth across my nipple, sending delicious little electric shocks straight south.

I could hear the smile in his voice. "I hope that means that you're not going to be responsible for your actions." His lips and teeth and tongue started to work on the side of my neck and I found myself instinctively moving my butt against him.

He groaned and turned me in his arms so that we were facing each other, and with his leg still thrown over my hip, only two thin layers of fabric separated us from making that final connection. I slit my eyes open and watched his lips slowly lower to touch mine. With a sigh, our mouths fused, tongues mating. What started out gentle and tender quickly turned demanding and hungry. My nails dug into his shoulders, his fingers twisted in my hair, pulling my head back and exposing my throat to his greedy mouth.

And then he was sliding down my body, his hands tearing at the buttons on the satin shirt. His hot wet mouth blazed a heated trail down my throat and chest to latch onto my breast, his tongue rasping over the nipple until I writhed under him. He feasted on me, trailing kisses back and forth between my breasts until I had a death grip on the sheets and my head thrashed on the pillow.

His fingers hooked into the waist of my pajama bottoms, inching them down, baring my flesh to his mouth. I was panting and gasping and making desperate little whimpering sounds. He whispered against my skin, how soft I was, how he had missed my body, how sweet I tasted.

I fisted my hands in his hair and pulled his mouth back up to mine. I needed to touch him and slid my hand under the waist of his sleep pants, grasping him and stroking. The growl from deep in his chest vibrated through his whole body. He mirrored my actions and I almost screamed when he slipped one, then two fingers into me.

My brain was drunk on the sensations he was causing and I couldn't have stopped either of us if I had wanted to. And oh God! I didn't want to. It had been so long … so long, and I was as starved for him as he was for me. Our tongues mimicked the rhythm of our hands and we came together.

He collapsed on top of me and I wrapped my arms around him, barely aware of the tears on my cheeks or the kisses he feathered over my face. He raised himself up on his forearms and framed my face with his hands. "Stephanie, God, Steph. I …"

I barely heard his cell phone go off, and the sound of mine only skimmed over my consciousness. Neither of us paid attention as they just rang and rang, but it was the ferocious pounding on the door of the suite that brought us back to reality. With a final kiss, Ranger pushed himself up off the bed and went into the living room to see what was the matter.

I pulled my robe on and practically staggered into the living room just in time to watch Ranger open the door. Bobby and Lester stalked into the room, as angry as I'd ever seen them.

They looked from Ranger to me and back again. "Antoine's gone!" Bobby said. "The son of a bitch snuck out of the safe house sometime during the night."

_TBC …_

A/N: Well, did Steph make a big mistake? Is she gonna be kicking herself? Would Ranger use sex to win the game? Is he gonna disappear on her again? And what about Antoine? How are they gonna find out what he knows?

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. You've given Love 901 reviews so far. Thank you from the bottom of my little Review Slut heart. That said, I need to let you know that I'm facing some serious medical issues right now. I'm in the middle of all the testing, with lots more to come. I'm told that no matter what the test results are, surgery will be necessary. I'll do my best to keep up with Love, but please forgive me if there are lapses. No matter what … this story will be finished! Oh, and prayers would be appreciated, too.

Thanks so much,

Stayce


	22. I Can't Stop Loving You!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, Sappiness, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_**Love is a temporary insanity, from which we all pray we are never healed.**_

_**Anonymous**_

**Chapter 22: I Can't Stop Loving You!**

I just couldn't believe it! It was like Antoine had vanished into thin air, had just walked out the door and, poof, disappeared. Of course, it wasn't like he was being watched every minute. I mean the guys were there to keep him safe, not keep him prisoner. And since Antoine was the one who asked Ranger to protect him, nobody ever thought he'd just up and leave.

According to the guys, Antoine's dogs were still at his mother's house, and his family claimed to have no clue where he was. Of course, not one of them had _any _idea who he was supposed to hide out with in South Carolina. Riiiight! We all knew that was a load of crap. It looked like RangeMan had been snookered.

And oh boy! Was Ranger ever furious! Okay, so furious Ranger didn't look or act any different than happy Ranger or sad Ranger. In other words, he wore his blank face and didn't give away a thing. Only the one tiny little frown line between his eyes gave any indication of his mood, but believe me, I knew Ranger and Ranger was pissed.

I, on the other hand, was hopping mad and everybody knew it. I wanted to kick something, specifically Antoine's ass. I yelled, I stomped, I cursed, I cried. There was no question about how _I_ was taking this.

It wasn't just that Antoine had played me, which really pissed me off. It was that now, I'd never find out who bought that friggin' gun! I just knew in my gut that that was the one piece of information that would give me the edge and let me win the competition with Ranger.

I'd done my victory dance so many times in my head, that to my way of thinking, I'd already won, accepted my trophy, and taken my victory lap! Dammit!

Now stupid Antoine had screwed that all up for me. I was so wrapped up in celebrating my own brilliance that it never occurred to me that Ranger could actually wind up the winner. I never gave a single thought to what Ranger would demand as his prize, and now _that_ was something else I had to worry about. Shit! I was _so _totally screwed! I swear to God, if I ever got my hands on Antoine …

Running around in front of Lester and Bobby in nothing but my pajama bottoms and shortie robe wasn't such a great idea, so I showered and dressed, did my hair and put on make up, hoping that would distract me, but no, I still wanted to hunt down Antoine. I was finishing my make up, when Bobby tapped on the door jamb and stuck his head in. "Got a minute?" he asked.

I blew out a breath. "Sure," I said and waved him in.

He parked himself on the bench at the foot of the bed, pointedly ignoring the tumble of sheets and pillows and my satin pajama top with the buttons torn off. I grabbed the top and quickly balled it up in my hands and stuffed it into a dresser drawer and Bobby ducked his head to hide a grin. I quickly pulled the bedspread up over the mess, my face bright red.

Bobby cleared his throat and got down to business. "Look, Bomber, I'm a little worried about you meeting up with the Abruzzi clan. I know none of them has ever met you in person, but after Joe got charged, your picture was plastered all over the papers. Those people have to know that you were Morelli's girlfriend. I'm thinking there's a chance that one of them might recognize you."

I perked up. "So I don't have to be a waitress?" I asked hopefully.

He gave me a rueful smile. "Sorry, but that's still the only way we can get you two into the event."

"Well crap," I practically snarled. I was _so _not happy about it. "But I'm still gonna kick Lester's ass."

"I'll help," he snorted. "Anyway, here, I brought you this." He handed me a small shopping bag.

I reached in and pulled out a wig. "Oh, you're kidding, right?" I gave him a pissy face.

"No, humor me, okay? Just give it a try."

I rolled my eyes at him, but I figured I didn't have anything to lose and took the wig into the bathroom. It was blonde, shoulder length, with sort of tousled curls, kind of cute, really. What the hell, I thought. I twisted my hair up on top of my head and pulled on the wig. Oh boy!

When I walked out of the bathroom, the bedroom was empty but I could hear Bobby, Lester, and Ranger talking in the living room. I stood in the bedroom doorway and said, "Anybody want me to call for breakfast?"

Three sets of eyes turned to look at me, and three jaws hit the floor.

"Yowzah!" That was Lester.

"Day-um!" came from Bobby.

"Babe?" Who knew you could surprise Ranger?

Hoo-boy! The wolf pack was on alert. If they'd had tails, they would have been standing straight up. Instead, I was pretty sure that a different body part was standing at attention. The three of them stood there, slack-jawed, staring at me. This was a way better reaction than I expected. I pushed off the door and strolled over to the house phone. "Okay, so who wants to eat?"

Ranger's lips curled up into his wolf grin, Bobby's eyebrows went up to his hairline, and Lester licked his lips. O-kay, poor choice of words! But who cares, I was really enjoying all this attention, and I wasn't even dressed up in my slut regalia. I guess maybe blondes really do have more fun!

"Helloo! Boys … breakfast?" I held up the room service menu and waved it at them, but they just stared at my blonde hair. Finally I just yelled, "Bobby! Would you order breakfast, please?" and shoved the menu into his hands.

He gave me a loopy grin. "Who do you want to eat? I mean what … what can I get for you, Beautiful?" He shot a sidelong glance at Ranger who was scowling at him, but he got busy and made the call.

"Sorry, Bomber. You just look so different. Maybe you should use that for distraction jobs?" Bobby waggled his eyebrows at me.

Ranger had watched our little exchange and shook his head. "I don't think so," he said with a smile. "Considering your reactions, I doubt that the target would be the only one distracted. Wouldn't want the men tripping over their own … tongues." I grinned at him, knowing that he meant a different body part altogether.

Lester just leered at me, staring straight at my chest. "Maybe it's just the blonde hair," he said finally. "But I swear your boobs look bigger."

"Shut up, Lester!" the three of us chorused.

He pointed at my chest. "Jeez! I only meant that I thought maybe you stuffed your bra or someth … Hey!" he said, only making it worse. Bobby smacked Lester in the back of the head and Ranger growled, "Santos!" Good thing there wasn't a mat around or they'd be meeting on it.

"What the hell did I say?" he muttered, rubbing the back of his head, still grinning.

"Okay," Ranger said, rubbing his face with his hands and then running them through his hair, "I need to shower and get dressed. Bobby, call Cal and Ram and tell them to pack up and head back to Trenton. Antonio wants to be on his own? He's got his wish!"

"Sure, Boss." Bobby pulled out his cell to make the call.

"Santos, I want you and Bobby and Hector to hang around until after that charity event just in case there's trouble. Give Tank a call and let him know."

Ranger started for the bedroom, then stopped and turned back. "Bobby," Ranger said, not taking his eyes off of me. "Better get Steph a different wig."

"Will do." He grinned at me and heaved a big, fake sigh. I blew him a kiss and did a cutesy little Betty Boop move.

"You better come with me," Ranger took my hand and tugged me after him into the bedroom. "I don't think I trust those two, _or_ the new you." Closing the door, he pressed me back against it and pulled the blonde wig off my head, tossing it onto the dresser. "There's my girl," he smiled as he finger combed my hair back into place. He ran the backs of his fingers over my cheeks, then bent and brushed a soft kiss across my lips.

My eyes drifted shut and I automatically lifted my face to his. He kissed me again, this time deeper. God help me, I couldn't resist him. I slid my arms around his neck, molded myself against his gorgeous body, and I kissed him right back. It was delicious and warm and when I felt him harden against me, I wanted to drag him over to the bed and pick up right where we'd left off.

He must have had the same thought. "I'm sorry that we got interrupted before, Stephanie." Dammit! If he had just kept his mouth shut! I swear my Inner Jersey Girl woke up and finger thumped me in the head. I dropped my arms and shoved my hands into my pockets so I wouldn't be tempted to grope him.

I forced myself to drag my eyes from his, down to his bare chest, not that _that_ was any help. After all, I day dream about Ranger's chest, among other parts. I blew out a deep breath. "Probably it was for the best," I mumbled. "You know, before things got really out of hand."

He braced his forearms against the door and looked down at me. I could feel his eyes boring into me like he was trying to see inside my head. "Do you regret what happened this morning?"

I slipped under his arm and moved away from him before I answered. Standing too close to Ranger always turned my brain to mush. "Regret it?" I echoed. I needed a minute to figure out how I really felt. "No?" Even _I _could hear the uncertainty in my voice. "Yes? Maybe? All of the above." I turned around to look at him. "I just don't think that it was such a hot idea for us to ..." I waved my hand toward the bed, "… you know."

"If I'm not mistaken, you thought it was a pretty damn good idea this morning. What changed your mind?" He sounded a little ticked.

"Oh, there are a whole bunch of good reasons," the words sort of tumbled out of my mouth. I mean, there had to be at least one good reason, right?

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Like?"

I stood there wringing my hands trying to come up with something. "Like … um … like we're in a competition here and … and like we agreed that we needed to keep this whole thing business-like and impersonal," I stammered. "And I don't think it's smart for us to get physically involved again." That sounded lame even to me. And then I had a brainstorm. "We … we need to focus on the goal."

"Really?" His voice had a sharp edge to it. And I could practically hear his damned blank face slam into place.

Why the hell did I have to open my big, fat mouth? "Well, yeah! So we can do the job we set out to do and get Joe out of jail."

He studied my face for a long minute and I had to resist the urge to squirm under his stare. "Do you feel guilty?" he said evenly. "Is that it? You plan on going back to the cop?" He sounded so controlled, but his fists were clenched. There was something simmering right below the surface and no way did I want to find out what it was.

I held up both my hands in a 'stop' gesture. "Look, just forget I said anything, okay?" I blurted, back-peddling as fast as I could. "Let's just agree to keep it professional and leave it at that." I needed to get the hell out of there, and I headed for the door. Ranger had other ideas and hooked my arm as I blew past him, turning me to face him, his fingers biting into my upper arms.

"Tell me," he demanded, giving me a shake. "Are you going back to Morelli?" He ground the words out.

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath before I stepped into the mine field. "Ranger, you don't get it, do you? This doesn't have anything to do with Joe! This is just about _me_."

"Meaning?"

I pulled away from his hands, backing away to give myself some breathing room. "You and I make pretty good friends. At least _I _think we do. And we seem to work real well together. But let's face it, we make lousy lovers." His eyebrows shot up.

"Explain!" Crap! We were back to those damned one word sentences.

"Once upon a time, you told me that my on again-off again relationship with Joe was an unhealthy pattern of behavior." He gave me a single nod. "Well, _our _pattern isn't any better." Okay, that got a reaction. He arched an eyebrow.

"Go on." You could practically see the ice dripping from his words.

I started to pace back and forth in front of him. "When Joe and I would get together, we really did try to see if we could make it work … make _us_ work out and for some screwy reason, just when things would be going good, one of us would pick a fight. We'd yell and scream and wave our arms and get pissed off and slam doors and leave. But we always _both_ got mad. We _both_ backed off. We _both_ ran!"

"So …?"

I dragged in a lungful of air. The kind you take before you jump into the deep end of the pool. "Ranger, there _is_ no 'we'!" I pointed back and forth from him to me. "You're the one who said you don't do relationships and I'm the one who can't do 'no strings'! We only got together to have sex and that didn't work out for either one of us."

"Continue!" Mr. Man of Few Words was starting to seriously piss me off.

"We've gotten together twice. First time, when you backed off, I was hurt and confused. The second time, when you _took_ off, I was hurt and confused and humiliated. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure it out. I'm just an itch that you need to scratch every once in a while. You don't want me in your life; you just want me in your bed! Why would I do that to myself?"

Oooh! That hit home. But if anything, his face just hardened more and he still didn't say anything. I could feel tears of frustration prick at my eyes while he just stood there, hands on hips, staring at me. How come I was the one spilling my guts and he got to stand there like a sphinx? Why wasn't he telling me I was wrong? Because I wasn't, that's why.

All I wanted to do was wipe that fucking blank stare off his face. "And what about _you_? If this was such a perfect set up, you wouldn't need to _run_ every time, wouldja? If that's not an unhealthy pattern of behavior, I don't know what is!" I practically spat the words at him.

Ranger didn't get a chance to say anything, not that I really thought he would. Lester knocked on the door, "Hey you two lovebirds, breakfast is here. Hurry up before Brown eats it all!"

'Lovebirds'! What a joke! "Okay, be right out!" I called to Lester, not taking my eyes off Ranger, who didn't so much as blink.

Ranger didn't say a word, just walked around me and went into the bathroom and closed the door. Son of a bitch!

A second before I opened the bedroom door, I heard the TV click on. Just swell! Probably Bobby and Lester heard every word that Ranger and I said. If either one of them made a crack, I just knew I was gonna burst into tears.

But when I got into the living room, the guys were sitting at the table shoveling food into their mouths and staring at the TV like it was delivering a message from God. I knew that was for my benefit. Somehow I didn't think that _Supernanny _was part of their normal TV viewing routine.

"You see that little fucker bite his sister?" Lester asked Bobby, pointing his fork at the TV.

"Yeah. Time out, my ass!" Bobby responded over the rim of his coffee cup. "Little shit needs to have his ass wupped!"

I picked up my purse and slid a room key card into my pocket. "Guys, I need some fresh air. I'm gonna go for a walk."

"But we ordered you French toast and bacon …." Bobby pointed to a dome covered plate.

"You want one of us to go with …" Lester started to get up, but I just threw them a wave and went out the door. I needed some alone time to calm down and cool off.

I walked around the pier for a while, watching the boats in the harbor, giving myself a chance to get a grip on my emotions. I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't only Ranger who had to keep things impersonal and professional. I had to keep my focus on the goal and not let my emotions get in the way either. Still, I couldn't deny the little ache around my heart.

By the time I got back to the hotel, my stomach was grumbling. I wasn't so pissed at Ranger that I'd forgotten the breakfast I'd left behind in the suite. The hotel had an outside patio restaurant with a great view of the harbor, so I snagged a table under a big umbrella and ordered another breakfast.

While I waited, I pulled out the Abruzzi family files that I had in my purse and started to read. By the time I'd finished my breakfast, I knew the names and faces of all the relatives, aunts, uncles, cousins... All of them were movers and shakers, political contributors, on the society pages. Not one of them was poor, and I had to wonder what made Eddie turn to a life of crime. He certainly didn't need the money. His parents had been loaded to the gills and he was an only child.

Since Lester had done all the research on Eddie for me, I really hadn't read too much of the file. After all, he wasn't in the picture anymore, and I already knew everything I wanted to know about him. He was crazy and mean and a total sociopath and just about everybody who knew him wanted him dead. What else was there to know?

I flipped through it pretty fast. It was all the usual stuff, medical history, and school records, criminal record and thanks to a couple of tricks Lester had up his sleeve, he'd even able to access Abruzzi's juvenile record. Go Les!

I wasn't the least little bit surprised to find out that Eddie had been the school yard bully, liked to torture small animals, and had a fascination with fire. Hell, he'd been exactly the same as a grown up. He was such a handful that his parents shipped him off to boarding school when he was eight! Yikes! It was one of those military places that parents threaten their kids with. Apparently Eddie loved it and that's where he developed his obsession with Napoleon.

I scanned the rest of the file. His police record was as long as I was tall, but he was never convicted of anything. Seems that all the witnesses and evidence against him mysteriously disappeared every single time he was brought up on charges. Big surprise, huh?

I skipped a lot of stuff. I didn't give a flying rat's ass about Eddie's collection of Napoleonic medals and shit. I mean, that's why the guy kidnapped and tortured _me_, to find a stupid medal! My hand automatically went to the scar on my arm, I thought about Eddie every time I looked at it.

Okay, I was officially sick and tired of Eddie Abruzzi and his obsession. I closed the file tossed it on top of all the others, almost missing the single sheet of paper that fluttered out and blew across the patio. A passing waiter grabbed it and handed it back to me.

It was the copy of a birth certificate. It didn't have a name on it, just said 'Baby Boy' and was issued on October 6, 1957, Abruzzi's birthday. Place of birth was The Open Arms Home for Unwed Mothers in Providence, RI. I flipped back through his file. His parents had already been married for four years when he was born. Maybe he was adopted? I'd have to check that out.

I pulled out my phone to call Lester and ask him to run a search, when a tingle zipped down my back and a shadow settled over me. I looked up into Ranger's blank face. Oh joy!

"May I join you?" Yeesh! He sounded so formal.

I sighed. "Sure." Please, please, please don't let him want to continue that god-awful talk. It'd turned into one of those conversations that I didn't even want to have in my head much less out loud. I'd hate to have to fake a heart attack just to shut him up!

The waiter hustled over and Ranger ordered coffee. He didn't say anything until the waiter had filled our cups and left. "We'll do it your way," he said without preamble. "Impersonal and business-like. We'll get the job done and work out anything else afterward."

I was tempted to ask him what 'everything else' meant, but I'd already said more than I ever planned to. I was all talked out, so I just nodded.

We finished our coffee in silence. I couldn't help but feel a little sad. I'd really enjoyed these last few weeks when things had gone back to normal and we'd been more relaxed around each other, had been able to laugh and joke. Now the deflector shields were up again and we were both on guard.

I had to keep telling myself it was for the best. Ranger wouldn't or couldn't do things my way, and I'd tried his way, but that turned out to be a complete disaster. Much as I hated to admit it, I had to learn to protect myself, and not just from Ranger. I had to learn to protect myself from _me_, too. How sad is that?

By the time I got upstairs, Bobby had gotten back with a new wig for me. This one had straight dark brown hair, cut chin length in front and shorter in back. This was really cute, too. No one said a single word about this wig. I guess the guys figured out that there was trouble in paradise. The kids always seem to know when mom and dad are fighting, don't they?

"Hey Boss," Bobby was on his phone. "I think I've got a lead on Antoine. We're gonna go check it out."

Ranger didn't hesitate a second. "I'll go with you. I can't wait to get my hands on that little shit." He went into the bedroom to grab a jacket, probably to cover the Glock clipped to his waistband.

I grabbed my purse and walked to the door with them. Ranger turned to me, "I don't know how long I'll be. I'm sure you can amuse yourself for the rest of the day. Call if you need me."

Ohhhh, I was being dismissed. "Don't worry," I put on the biggest fake smile I could muster. "I won't need you … for anything."

I rode down on the elevator with them, Ranger playing Mr. Freeze and the Merry Men looking at everything but the two of us. I took off toward the harbor determined to enjoy myself. I spent the rest of the day eating my way through Little Italy, shopping, and playing tourist. It was after dark by the time I took a cab back to the hotel, tired enough that I didn't even want dinner.

There was no sign of Ranger, so I pinned my hair up on top of my head and treated myself to a long hot bath in the spa tub. Heaven! I must have dozed off because when I woke up, the water was cold and I was all pruney. I opened the drain and stood up, letting the water sluice off of me. I was just stepping out of the tub, when that old familiar zing hit and the door swung open. Ranger came in pulling his shirt off over his head. We both froze, me because I was staring at his naked chest, him because he was staring at mine.

Instead of turning away or trying to cover up, I found myself standing a little straighter, prouder, almost defiant, although I have no idea why. His pupils dilated, his chocolate eyes turning glittering black as he watched the little droplets of water slide from my shoulders, down between my breasts and over my stomach, down further still. His nostrils flared a little with each breath he took. I may have been cold when I stepped out of the tub, but I felt myself heat up under his gaze.

I don't think I'd ever felt such a sense of power over him. It was intoxicating… and dangerous. He licked his lips as if he were tasting the water that clung to me. His hooded eyes swept from my face down to my toes, then slowly back up again, lingering on my belly and breasts. My nipples contracted and my skin tingled as if his hands, not his eyes, were moving over me.

His shirt slipped from his fingers, falling to the floor and he took a deliberate step toward me, then another. My back was to the wall, there was nowhere for me to go, no way out but past him. I just stood there, waiting, my whole body quivering in anticipation. He stopped so close to me that I could feel the heat radiating off of him, his hot breath in my hair. I raised my eyes to his and we stood there, suspended in that moment.

My hands were fisted, nails dug into my palms. I was unconsciously keeping myself from touching him. He was doing the same thing, mirroring my actions … both of us fighting for control. He took the final step and I dragged in a ragged gasp as my naked breasts skimmed his bare chest sending jolts of electricity straight south. I could tell he was having the same reaction.

He growled, low in his chest and I jumped, all my bravado gone, when he slammed his hands flat against the wall, trapping me. I held my breath, a sudden fear slipping through me. I'd been playing with fire, and I was afraid I was going to be burned. But he dipped his head slowly and touched his tongue to my shoulder, sliding his mouth up to that tender spot below my ear and grazing it with his teeth. I tipped my head to the side and a helpless whimper escaped me as his mouth worked its magic, turning my insides to liquid heat. Every nerve ending was exposed and I was wound so tightly, that if I'd let myself, I could have come on the spot.

"Tell me you don't want me, Stephanie," he whispered, his voice thick and low in my ear. How could I tell him that? I wanted him so badly that I ached with it. He was my drug of choice, my fix, standing right there in front of me. All I had to do was reach out, to lift my hand and touch him …

But the decision was made for me. Lester appeared in the bathroom doorway. "Hey Ranger …. Aww SHIT! I'm sorry… I didn't realize …" he stuttered.

The spell was broken and I spun away from the open door, turning my back on a wide eyed Lester and pressing myself against the wall. Ranger covered me with his body, blocking Lester's view. "Santos! Get out!" he roared, but Lester was already gone.

Ranger stood there for a minute, leaning his forehead against the back of my head, sucking deep breaths and letting them out slowly. He straightened up and picked up one of the big bath sheets that were stacked by the sink. Unfolding it, he wrapped it around me from behind, tucking the ends between my breasts, his knuckles brushing my skin. "You're my temptation, Stephanie," he said softly, his fingers lingering longer than necessary. "You make me want things I shouldn't."

I turned my head and looked over my shoulder at him, searching his eyes and hoping I'd figure out what he was talking about. All I saw was resignation on his face and he looked almost … sad? I honestly couldn't identify what I saw there.

Ranger stepped back from me and moved toward the door. "I'll bunk with the guys tonight and pick you up tomorrow afternoon," he said gruffly. He left with the Merry Men, and I was left with questions. Lots and lots of questions.

I flopped back onto the bed in my thinking position trying to find the answers, to figure out what the hell Ranger meant. No luck there, so I moved on to the same question that had plagued me since I met the man. Should follow my heart, my head, or my doodah?

My heart knew that if I threw myself into bed with Ranger, yet again, it would be broken … yet again. My head was telling me that it wouldn't work out between us because I'd always want more than Ranger was willing to give. And my doodah, well, that was doing the talking for my eight million Hungarian hormones, and was doing a happy dance at the prospect of steady supply of Doomsday Orgasms.

I finally fell asleep with every single one of those questions unanswered. Dammit!

I spent the next morning in my pajamas, trying to break into the files of the Open Arms Home for Unwed Mothers. Thankfully, the days of hiding your pregnant teen, or shipping her off someplace were long gone. Still closed records were closed records and I didn't have any luck getting anymore information about Eddie Abruzzi.

I finally broke down and called Lester, careful not to mention Ranger, or his whereabouts. I didn't know, and I didn't care. Much.

"What can I do for you, Bombshell?" he said brightly.

"I'm in need of your special talents." I have to learn to choose my words more carefully.

"I've been waiting for you to come to your senses! I'll be right over!" I couldn't imagine that Ranger was anywhere within earshot.

"Cute, but not those particular skills, Lester." I rolled my eyes. Some things never change.

He let out a deep sigh. "You don't know what you're missing!"

"I'm sure it would be memorable, but I'm gonna have to pass."

"You're cruel and heartless, crushing my poor, fragile ego like that. At least take a rain check." I could hear the smile in his voice.

I had to laugh, fragile ego, my foot. "Okay, rain check it is."

"So what do you need?"

I told him about the birth certificate and the information I was trying to get.

"I'll do my best, Steph. If I find anything, I'll call you.

"Great! And if I'm already playing waitress, text me, okay?"

"You got it. Hey, you still mad at me?" I could practically see the puppy dog eyes.

"What do you think?" I answered sarcastically.

"I'll be happy to make it up to you. I'll give you an experience you'll never forget!"

"Oh!" I quipped. "We going bungie jumping?"

"Well, I've never done it that way. But I'm game if you are," he said brightly.

I laughed. "Bye, Lester!" I snapped my phone shut. That's the only way you could get the last word with Lester.

I called room service and ordered lunch for myself, then started to get ready for my big debut as a waitress. I got dressed and French braided my hair to make it easier to get the wig on, did my make up and stuffed the mini-microphones and my ankle holster into my purse. I was good to go.

My cell rang, Hector calling. He told me that he'd picked up some new surveillance equipment in D.C. and asked me to try it out for him. He'd sent the stuff with Ranger, so I guess 'you know who' would be showing up soon. Hector said that the glasses had a camera and mic in them. Glasses! Just great! I was seeing Buddy Holly in my future.

I was pleasantly surprised. The glasses had brushed nickel fames and I couldn't tell where either the mic or the camera were hidden, but Hector would be able to see and hear everything that I did.

The kitchens at the Ritz Carlton were in a state of organized chaos. Miles of plates were lined up, waiting to be filled with salads and entrees and desserts. All of us servers scurried around, filling water glasses, putting rolls on bread plates, opening bottles so the wine could breathe. Guests would start arriving any minute for the cocktail hour to be held out on the veranda. Thankfully, I hadn't been tapped to work that. I just couldn't see myself walking through that crowd carrying trays of Champagne glasses. Actually I could see myself with a tray of Champagne … dumping it all over Brad Pitt when I tripped over my tongue which would be dragging on the ground when I saw him.

Lots of charity event guests were staying in the hotel, and the frenzied room service wait staff was racing food and beverage carts back and forth from the service elevators. I'd never complain about bounty hunting again! You couldn't pay me enough to do _this _kind of work.

I'd lost track of Ranger in all the hustle and bustle, but I was wearing the cross necklace with the GPS in it, and had my cell phone and a panic button in my pocket. I had a little automatic strapped to my ankle, and Hector was listening and watching everything that was going on. Plus, Bobby and Lester were parked around the corner in case we needed them. That's RangeMan for ya, prepared for everything.

I'd just come back into the kitchen after delivering half a dozen bottles of Champagne to my service area, when the kitchen manager grabbed me by the arm. "Here, you! Take this up to suite 1504, and hurry!"

"Who me? No! I'm not with room service, I was just hired for the gala."

"Look, honey, it's only Champagne and hors d'oeuvres. It's for one of the celebrity suites. Just deliver it to the butler. Maybe you'll get to see a movie star."

Okay, that got my attention. Maybe I could catch one of them getting dressed. I checked my phone; it had a full charge … and a camera. I pushed the cart to the service elevator. "Hector," I pulled off the glasses and turned them around so he could see me. "If this is anybody good, I want stills, okay?" and I put the glasses back on. My cell phone vibrated silently in my pocket. 'OK,' he texted back.

I found 1504 without any problem, and rang the bell on the butler's pantry door. These suites had no kitchens, just a small room were the butler serve the food sent up from the kitchen. I hit the buzzer by the door and waited.

I was admitted by a tall thin man, with a clipped British accent who introduced himself as 'Harrison'. "The guests have been kept waiting," he snapped. "They are very displeased with the service!" Like I cared! "Open two bottles and put the rest in the wine cooler. Then fill the glasses and take them out to the living room. See that everyone has a glass and then you can pass the hors d'oeuvres."

"Wait!" I stage whispered. "I was just supposed to deliver this stuff to you, not serve it!" I could hear the panic tingeing my voice.

"Yes, well, we all must do whatever is necessary to make our guests happy. I'm busy helping one of the gentlemen get dressed. Hurry now, get busy."

"But …" I was talking to thin air. He'd already slipped through the door and disappeared.

Okay, I could do this. I stowed the extra Champagne in the wine fridge, and opened two bottles as ordered. I actually managed to fill the glasses without spilling too much and I even resisted the temptation to take a swig from the bottle. "Wish me luck!" I whispered to Hector, and took a deep breath, picked up the tray and made it through the door without incident. I even remembered to put on my little white gloves.

The living room had about a dozen people in it and I made a circuit, making sure everyone had a glass. I was so focused on not dumping the tray that I never looked at anybody's face. Hector texted me to look at each guest so he could get a picture. It wasn't until I started serving the hors d'oeuvres that I realized I recognized a whole bunch of the people in the room. Wouldn't you know it? This celebrity suite held the Abruzzi clan. What a bummer! Not a movie star in sight!

Remember the wicked step-mother from Cinderella? Mama Abruzzi could have been the model for her. She was sitting down, ramrod straight, cold, aloof, and superior. Even sitting, she was still able to look down her nose at me. Eddie's son and daughter were there. The boy, probably seventeen or so, grabbed my ass. The girl, maybe twelve, took an appetizer, shoved the whole thing in her mouth, then spat it back on the tray. Sweethearts, both of them.

I went back to the pantry for the next bottle and the butler came in and started steaming a tux jacket. "One of the ladies has a problem with her dress. Obviously, I can't be of assistance. Would you be so kind as to see if you can aid her?" He pointed me toward one of the bedrooms.

I rolled my eyes. First a server now a ladies' maid. Boy, was I ever coming up in the world. I knocked lightly on the bedroom door and went in. Wife Number 3, the widow, was standing in front of a full length mirror. Tall, blond, beautiful, and pencil thin, except for the huge boobs, she made me feel absolutely frumpy, especially since I was duded up in this gorgeous servers' uniform. She was dripping in diamonds, and wore FMPs but not much else.

She pointed to the dress that lay in a heap on the floor and gave the electric blue satin, haute couture gown a kick. "That piecea shit won't zip!" she snarled. "30k just because it's supposeta be a original. Made by some queer named Chanel." She pronounced it 'channel'. I almost laughed out loud. I'll bet Mama Abruzzi just _loved_ her.

I picked up the dress and checked the side zipper, went into the bathroom and slid a bar of soap down each side, wiped off the excess and presto! All fixed. I helped the Mrs. into her gown, but drew the line when she turned and leaned over so I could fix 'The Girls' for her. Nope, not going there, no how, no way! I helped her put on her evening gloves and fled back to the butler's pantry.

My cell had vibrated twice. The first text was from Lester, telling me that Eddie had been adopted, and big surprise, he'd had a twin, although only _he_ had been adopted by the Abruzzis. I asked Les to see if he could track down the brother.

The second text was from Ranger, telling me to get the hell out of the Abruzzi suite as fast as I could. I was all for that. Unfortunately, the butler had other ideas. He handed me a Champagne bottle and told me to take it out to the living room. "Don't you want me to open it first?"

"No," he said. "One of the gentlemen wants to do it himself."

"That's fine with me. My manager wants me back downstairs," I fibbed. "I'll take this out there, but then I have to leave."

Harrison nodded at me. "Thank you Samantha, you've been a great help."

I wrapped the bottle in a large white napkin and brought it out into the living room where the entire family was gathered. I stood by the serving cart that held a silver tray of fresh glasses. One of the men was making a speech, so I stood off to the side and waited for him to finish. He was blathering on and on about family pride and Prodigal Sons.

My cell vibrated and I slid it out of my pocket and took a look. It was a text from Lester, telling me that Eddie's twin brother had been adopted by a couple from Illinois. The brother had gone missing three days before Eddie had been murdered. Well, well, the plot thickens. I got a dirty look from one of the men in the room and I slid my phone back into my pocket.

My attention was drawn back to the living room, where the group was silently watching a man who had just walked in through the front door. They were all smiling, obviously happy to see the guy. He was tall, thin, wore dark glasses and there was something vaguely familiar about him, but I couldn't figure out what. Harrison stepped up behind him to help him off with his overcoat.

Under the coat, he was wearing a tux with some medals pinned to the jacket. I couldn't get a good look from where I was waiting with the Champagne. Everybody was standing at attention, like this was some kind of ceremony. Maybe he was a Grand Poobah from the Elks or the Masons or The Knights of Columbus?

My phone went off again, probably for the fifth time in two minutes. Considering the looks I had gotten last time I'd pulled it out, the phone was gonna have to wait.

I watched the Widow Abruzzi walk up to the guy and sort of bow her head. He kissed her on both cheeks, then she turned around and stood next to him. Abruzzi's daughter came up and did the same thing. Then sonny boy did too. Yeesh! What a formal bunch. Couldn't they just say 'Hi' and hug each other? Mama Abruzzi looked adoringly up at the man who walked over to her and knelt in front of her. It was really kind of sweet. He kissed her on both cheeks, and then stood up again. Everybody in the room started to applaud. What the hell? Maybe this guy was the head of the family? Who knew? Really, who cared? Not me! All I wanted to do was get the hell outta there.

"Champagne!" The new guy looked around the room. "Where is my Champagne?"

I guess that was my cue. I walked over to him and held out the bottle. He took it from me, tossed me the napkin I'd wrapped the bottle in. Harrison followed behind me with the tray of glasses.

The guy never even looked at me, but I finally got a good look at him. Oh my God! I knew why he looked familiar. He looked like Eddie! Could this guy be Eddie's twin brother? He was thinner than Eddie had been and he wore his hair differently. His voice was different too, smoother or something. I watched him closely.

The new guy took the foil and wire cage off the Champagne. My eyes almost popped out of my head when one of the men handed him a sword. I glanced at Harrison, who didn't seem at all worried, so I guess it was okay. I watched as the foil and wire cage were removed from the bottle, and the guy ran the flat edge of the sword up the side of the bottle, beheading it. The cork sailed over our heads and everybody in the room cheered as the Champagne bubbled up out of the bottle.

He made a big deal out of filling the flutes and passing them out. Finally he held up a glass and announced to the crowd, "As Napoleon said, 'I drink champagne when I win, to celebrate . . . and I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself.' Tonight we celebrate!" And he downed the glass.

Okay, my spidey sense was serious tingling, and my stomach was starting to sour. My cell was vibrating again, and it really was time to leave. I started to back up, but Harrison shoved the tray into my hands and took off. I looked around for someplace to dump the tray.

The creepy new guy turned back to me and put his empty glass on the tray and looked at me for the first time. He took off his sunglasses and tipped his head, studying me. I didn't look back at him, I just stood there, trying for a blank face.

When I glanced up his eyes narrowed and he broke into a cold, evil smile. My heart stuttered in my chest. Oh shit! I had been _so _wrong; this guy wasn't Eddie Abruzzi's twin. I looked up into those mad eyes and there was absolutely no doubt in my mind. This guy _was _Eddie Abruzzi … back from the dead!

"Why Stephanie Plum," he said smoothly. "Come to welcome me back from the dead?" He raised the sword that he still held in his other hand and started to laugh maniacally. "Your turn to play dead! Only you won't be coming back!"

I dropped the tray, and ran!

**TBC …**

**A/N: Okay, so how's she gonna get out of this mess? Is he really Eddie? And what's with that crazy family? Will Ranger come to rescue her? Will he get there in time? Dun-dun-dun! **

**I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed Love and a very special thanks for all the prayers and good wishes, positive thoughts and vibes and energy that you've all sent my way. Thanks for the PMs and emails, too. God listens. I had to wait for 9 of the longest days of my life, but the news is wonderful. The mass is benign and there is no sweeter word in any language. Thank you so much for your understanding and support. I can't tell you how much it means to me. Hopefully, now I can focus on my goal, to finish Love.**

**Thank you again …**

**Stayce**


	23. Tis Better To Have Loved And Lost, Blah

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; _

_loving someone deeply gives you courage.  
__Lao-Tzu_

_Chapter 23:__ 'Tis Better To Have Loved And Lost, Blah, Blah, Blah …_

I didn't even get a chance to take a step before I was surrounded by the entire Abruzzi clan. They closed ranks and circled around me, forming a solid human wall, making it impossible for me to escape. Talk about déjà vu. I had done this before. I just stood there, frozen, fear nailing my feet to the floor.

A wave of dizziness passed over me and, suddenly, I was back in that playground on Comstock Street where the Slayers had taken me, surrounded by gang members. Abruzzi was my new Junkman and his people might be better dressed than the Slayers, but they all wanted the same thing, me … dead!

My heart thundered in my chest as I looked from one face to the next, silently praying that somebody, _anybody_, would say something to put a stop to this nightmare. But nobody stepped forward; nobody would even look me in the eye. I had no place to run, no place to hide, and no Sally Sweet to save me. Oh God! How the hell was I gonna get out of this one?

I watched Eddie work the crowd, laughing and chatting, back slapping and shaking hands with the men, hugging and kissing the women like a politician on the campaign trail. He was the center of attention and he loved the spotlight. The most bizarre part was that nobody seemed surprised to see him back from the dead, and they all acted like he'd been on vacation or something.

And worse yet, nobody was bothered that he was planning on killing me. They all had to be in on it, whatever 'it' was. What the hell was the matter with these people?

Eddie turned to look at me and let loose a maniacal giggle of sheer joy. I shivered at the hair-raising sound. This guy had always been a little nuts, but I was beginning to realize that he'd fallen over the edge into complete insanity, and he'd taken his whole family with him.

The lights from the crystal chandeliers glinted off the razor sharp steel of the blade of the sword as he raised it and laid it on his shoulder like a baseball bat. The circle opened just enough for him to saunter inside, and that little knot of fear I'd felt in the pit of my stomach ratcheted up into full blown panic.

My brain had pretty much shut down, so my mouth took on a mind of its own. "You know you can't get away with this, Eddie!" I babbled. "I mean, this is murder. There are lots of people who know where I am and they're probably on their way up here right now!" Okay, so I know it sounded desperate … but can you blame me?

Eddie popped his eyes open wide, his mouth a perfect 'O'. "Ooooooooh! I'm so scared!" he mocked. "Been there, done that, got away with it!" he snorted. "And that was before I became The Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Little General!" Eddie said like that explained it all.

His face fell when he realized I hadn't followed his train of thought. "You don't get it, do you?" he said with a heavy sigh when I just looked at him. "What's crazier than thinking you're Napoleon? It's a classic!" he said very slowly, like I was a mentally challenged child.

"You mean you don't? Think you're Napoleon, that is."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head 'no'. "I can do anything I want, rape, torture, maim … and the worst that can happen to me," he said with an evil smile, "is that I'll get locked up in some cushy mental hospital for a couple of years. Then some head shrinker will miraculously cure me, and I'll be a free man!" He held out one hand, palm up, and shrugged. "Simple!"

Oh man! He was crazy all right! Crazy like a fox!

"Okay! Back to the fun and games!" Eddie quipped, and looked around the room. "So, how're we gonna do this?" You could practically see the wheels turning and the light bulb go on over his head. "Oh! I know! We'll play guillotine!" and he pointed toward the dining room with the sword. "Off with her head!"

I stared at him in shock. He couldn't be serious … could he? I mean he wouldn't _really_ chop off my head … would he? Never mind, don't answer that. The expression on his face told me everything I needed to know.

"You two," he said to two of the women in the circle. "Take that jacket and tie off her. We don't want anything to get in the way of the blade. You and you," he pointed to a couple of the men, "tie her hands behind her back and lay her on the dining room table. Be sure to stick her head over the edge. Somebody find a basket to catch her head in."

Maybe he really didn't think he was Napoleon, but he was still as nutty as a fruitcake. He really was gonna cut my head off! Bells started to clang in my head and little black dots danced in front of my eyes and the room started to spin. I couldn't let myself faint. Unconscious, I'd be totally helpless. I gulped in a couple of deep breaths, trying to clear my head.

Mama Abruzzi pounded her cane on the floor and called out, "Edward! Stop that right now! Do _not_ kill her here! Take her elsewhere to dispose of her. Harrison," she pounded the cane again, "Harrison, come and help Mr. Edward get rid of this girl."

Eddie laughed, "Don't worry about it, Mama!" He turned back to me and winked. "Remember, I'm not just crazy … I'm _dead_!" he crowed triumphantly, throwing his arms wide. "Got the death certificate and everything. I might as well have some fun!"

The two men grabbed hold and held me while the women stripped the jacket and vest down my arms. I tried to fight them off, but it was useless, there were way too many of them. They pulled off the clip-on tie and undid the top buttons of my shirt, then tucked the collar inside so that my neck was totally exposed.

Eddie reached over and yanked off my cross necklace with the GPS tracker in it. He held it up, "Souvenir," he snorted and dropped it into his pocket.

"Hey," Eddie said with a gleam in his eye, "maybe that shirt should go too." He pulled out the neckline and looked down at my boobs and I went from terrified to furious in a heartbeat! If I hated it when Morelli looked down my shirt, you can bet your sweet ass I wasn't gonna let this sick bastard get away with it. I wrenched my arm away from the guy holding me and socked Eddie right in the eye. The jerk's head snapped back from the force of the punch.

"Bitch!" he snarled. His hand shot out and he hit me so hard that I felt my lip split and I stumbled back. If the two men hadn't grabbed me, I would have been on the floor. "Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy!" Eddie snarled. "I'm gonna give you just what you deserve!"

Oh, good job, Stephanie! Piss him off, why don'tcha? That always helps!

"Maybe I should just slice you in a few places and watch you bleed to death. I think I'd like that a lot!" He pressed the tip of the blade into my throat and I felt a trickle of warm blood slide down between my breasts. He poked the tip into my arm and then my thigh. Not hard, just enough to make me bleed. He smiled as spots of blood bloomed in each place.

The two guys started to pull me over to the table and I decided that I had nothing left to lose, so I played my ace. "Hey, Eddie, just so you know... your resurrection from the dead isn't just a family secret anymore." He looked at me and arched an eyebrow. "The cops know you killed your twin brother and left him in your car at the farmer's market."

Eddie's expression changed and he motioned for the men to stop. "They aren't that smart!" he snorted. "The suicide note was in my handwriting, the fingerprints on the gun were mine, the DNA was identical. I even got a cop on my payroll. He took care of all the evidence and what he couldn't destroy, he twisted so it pointed at your boyfriend. As far as anybody knows, the body in that car was me. Nobody even knew I had a twin. He was a farmer, for Crissake! I thought it was pretty funny that I blew his brains out in the farmer's market parking lot." He actually chuckled.

Time to go for broke, Stephanie. "Then how do you think I found out? Lucky guess? I was sent in here to make a positive ID and you did that for me. _You_ recognized _me_, your brother wouldn't have. This whole place is bugged and they got everything on tape. Every word, every move … and you just confessed to killing your brother." I glanced at the people surrounding us. "Smile, everybody! You're on camera, too," I announced with as much bravado as I could muster.

I saw a few looks exchanged. Some were spooked, some thought I was lying through my teeth, trying anything to save my own skin! Which I was, of course. I took a deep breath. "You want proof?" I asked, proud of how cool and calm my voice sounded. I pointed to the silver tray I'd tossed at Eddie. One of the men picked it up and flipped it over. Earlier, I'd stuck one of Hector's tiny little microphones on the bottom of it, and now I pointed it out to vultures that were surrounding me. "The Feds might as well be right here in the room with us!" A murmur went through the group.

Three seconds later my phone started to vibrate. "Guess who's calling?" I pulled it out of my pants pocket and flipped it open. Please, please, please God, don't let it be my mother! This was either going to save me or be the death of me. I hit the speaker option. "This is Stephanie."

A voice boomed out, loud enough for everybody in the room to hear. "And _this_ is Special Agent Robert Brown with the Washington, D.C. office of the FBI!" Oh my God! I loved Bobby!

I swear that there was a collective gasp and the whole bunch of them stampeded for the door like rats leaving a sinking ship. Cursing, screaming, pushing and shoving each other out of the way, the picture of a loving family. The bluff had worked and I took advantage of the turmoil to turn tail and run for my life. Unfortunately, Eddie was hot on my heels, swinging that damned sword for all he was worth!

I felt the blade swish past me, an inch from my ear, and heard Abruzzi's curse when he missed me. I yelped as his second swing snagged the wig right off my head and sent it sailing through the air, just like the top of the Champagne bottle he had decapitated earlier. If I didn't move my ass, the next thing to go flying would be my head!

I streaked past the serving cart, giving it a backward shove, hoping that I could nail Eddie with it and slow him down a little. I heard a crash and a thud as I flew into the dining room and prayed that that would buy me a couple of seconds to come up with an escape plan. Unfortunately, I wound up on the far side of the dining room with a cackling Eddie between me and all the exits.

He was clearly having a blast, tossing the sword from one hand to the other, taunting me, dancing from foot to foot as we played tag around the table. Using one of the chairs as a launching pad, Abruzzi leaped onto the middle of it and lunged at me with the sword. I think he had Napoleon confused with Zorro! I plastered my back against the wall and he sank the blade right into the woodwork next to my head.

It took him a second to wrestle the sword free and I scooted around the table, hoping to make it into the butler's pantry and out the door into the service hallway. I figured if I could just make it out of the apartment I could hit the stairs and find help or a hiding place. Hell, I'd pull the fire alarm if it meant getting away from this maniac! But Eddie'd obviously had a lot of practice playing this cat and mouse game, and he cut me off with another swipe of the sword.

Every time I tried to move around the table, he'd take a stab at me and give himself a point every time he stopped me. It really was all a game to him, one that he was winning. Finally he trapped me against the sideboard. He raised the sword in a high arc and held it there. "Thank you for playing 'Guillotine' with us today, Stephanie," he sounded like a demented game show host! "I'm sorry, but you won't be advancing to the next round. Our studio audience has already left, but here's your consolation prize!" and he brought the sword down on me.

I threw myself flat on the floor and by some miracle, the sword swished by, missing me by I don't wanna know how much. Eddie was cursing a blue streak and yelled at me to stay still. Yeah, right! Like I was just gonna lie there and let him slice me like lunch meat. When he raised the sword above his head for another try, I jumped up off the floor, grabbed the edge of the table cloth and yanked it with all my might.

Eddie whooped in surprise as his feet flew up in the air and he fell backward, hit the edge of the table and rolled off. He and his sword tangled with the chairs as he landed on the floor. I bolted around the table and vaulted over him like an Olympic hurdler. He made a grab for my ankle, snagging my pant leg instead, and I went down hard, flat on my face.

Survival instinct kicked in and I flipped onto my back and lashed out with my free foot, catching him right in the face with my heel. He screamed like a little girl and let go of me, covered his head with his arms and rolled away.

Oh man! I wished I'd been wearing my Cats. I knew I hadn't done any real damage to him, but I gave the rat bastard another couple of shots to the back of his head just for the hell of it, then scrambled to my feet and flew toward the butler's pantry. I slammed through the swinging door, focused on getting out the back way as fast as I could. Only a surprised Harrison stood between me and freedom. Well, Harrison and the great big gun that he was pointing in my face. Shit!

"I am very sorry, Miss," he said, as I skidded to a stop in front of him. "You'd best just turn around and march right back out there. You'll only make it worse on yourself." He held the gun in one hand, and a big basket, I guess for my head, in the other. My stomach rolled and I had a tough time not barfing all over the place.

"How could it be worse than having my head cut off?" I asked, my voice shaking. I was stunned. I couldn't believe he was actually going to let Eddie kill me. Maybe if I just kept him talking …

"Oh, you really don't want to know. We've been through this so many times before, and when he doesn't get his way, things get very nasty." No way was I gonna ask how many of these executions Harrison had aided and abetted, so I decided to try a different tack. I begged!

"Please, Harrison, _please _just let me go," I pleaded with him. "I'll tell the police you helped me escape. I swear they won't charge you with anything and you can just walk away! I give you my word …" I'd used up all my brave and now I couldn't stop the hot tears that slid down my cheeks.

"That's very good of you, my dear," he said with a sad smile. "But I have no choice. I am very much afraid that I would be as dead as you will be if I don't follow orders. These are very dangerous people, you know." Yeah, I pretty much figured that one out by myself.

I froze when I heard Eddie bellow, "Harrison! Get out here and help me … I can't find that little bitch!"

"See? He doesn't even know I'm in here," I whispered, despair making me grasp at straws. "He'll never find out that you let me go …" I pleaded, I was crying so hard that I almost didn't see the rear door glide open, an inch at first, then another. A hand wrapped around the edge of the door, very slowly and carefully pushing it open wider.

An arm appeared, a shoulder, and then Ranger slid silently into the room, gun in hand, and the relief that washed over me almost made my knees buckle. I had to physically restrain the urge to throw myself on him and climb him like a tree.

His eyes held mine for a few long seconds and then he flicked a glance at Harrison. For once, I actually tuned in to the ESP that the RangeMen seemed to share, and I knew exactly what Ranger wanted me to do.

I glued my attention to Harrison, to keep him focused on me so he wouldn't realize that Ranger was behind him. "Look, Eddie doesn't have to know you ever even saw me! You could tell him that you were looking for the basket or you went to the bathroom or out for a smoke … _anything_…" I just kept right on babbling.

Harrison nodded toward the dining room. "Best get out there and get this over with," he sighed. "Go on, like a good girl." He sort of shooed me with the automatic he held.

Ranger's face was expressive in its own way. I'd seen warmth and humor and tenderness and lust and, of course, his blank face, but Ranger had never let me see this face before … hard, stone cold, deadly. His eyes were icy, not a trace of sympathy or feeling in them.

I almost pitied Harrison and what was about to happen to him, almost. But he was ready to hand me over to be killed by that mad man. Ranger would show him the same mercy that the butler had shown me.

I tried not to let my face change as Ranger slid his Glock into the back of his waistband and moved up behind the butler. RangeMan training had kicked in and I gave a single nod. It wasn't for Harrison, it was for Ranger. I knew the drill and dodged to the left, crouching against the swinging door, finally able to haul my gun out of its ankle holster.

Ranger grabbed the butler's wrist and jerked his hand to the right. Harrison reflexively pulled the trigger and the bullet hit a Champagne bottle, exploding it, showering the room with glass and foam. Shards tinked against the walls and cabinets and I felt a dozen tiny stings as little slivers of glass peppered me.

Ranger smashed Harrison's hand against the counter top, forcing him to drop the gun, then twisted his arm up behind his back in a vicious move that had the butler screaming in pain. I swear I could hear his bones break. Wrapping his other arm around Harrison's neck, Ranger squeezed, practically lifting the butler off his feet. Harrison clawed at Ranger's arm, then his bulging eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp. It was over in seconds and Ranger lowered him, almost gently, to the floor, his arm still twisted behind his back.

Ranger didn't say anything, just leaned down and grabbed me by the shoulders, pulling me up off the floor. I wasn't even on my feet when Abruzzi burst into the room, hitting me with the swinging door so hard that he catapulted me into Ranger's chest.

Ranger spun me around and practically threw me behind him. "Get out of here, Stephanie!" Ranger ordered. "Get out now!" He started to pull his gun from his waistband, but he'd taken a second too long trying to get me out of there. I stumbled backwards, tripped over Harrison and landed on my butt, the gun in my hand skating across the floor.

Abruzzi was on Ranger in a heartbeat, attacking him from behind. Eddie roared in fury and brought the hilt of the sword down with both hands, smashing it onto the back of Ranger's neck. Ranger went down to the floor and didn't move, blood seeping from the wound on his neck. Eddie glared down at Ranger and raised the sword again.

I stood up and took a step toward Eddie, hoping that I'd be able to distract him from Ranger. "You haven't got the balls to fight a man face to face, do you Eddie? You attack him from behind or when he's unconscious. You're just a great big coward! Turn around and let me see that yellow stripe down your back, you pussy!"

His head snapped in my direction. "I shoulda killed you back when you were looking for Evelyn and Annie," Eddie snarled, his face contorted in rage. "I got my medal back, you know. The guy who bought it from them didn't have it very long. He never knew what hit him … but you will!" He raised the sword in a high arc and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the shimmering blade. This was it; this was the last thing I was going to see.

I screamed as Abruzzi, teeth bared, swung the sword at me, barely registering Ranger surging up from the floor. He threw himself at me just as Abruzzi brought the sword down, full force. We tumbled sideways and fell at Eddie's feet, Ranger covering me with his body.

The antique blade hit the granite countertop above our heads with a gut-wrenching clang, and we watched as the metal shattered, the broken pieces spinning through the small room like Ninja throwing stars, slicing through everything in their path.

It took my brain a few seconds to process what my eyes were seeing. Eddie was just standing there, slumped against the counter looking down at us. His eyes were wide with shock and surprise, the hilt of the splintered sword still clutched tightly in his hand.

Horrible gurgling noises came from his open mouth, the tip of the broken blade embedded in his throat, blood pouring from the gaping wound. Ranger pulled me up to a sitting position and dragged me backward, away from the cascade of blood. I watched Abruzzi's eyes go from shock to fear to disbelief. Finally the madness faded away, and he slid down the counter to the floor in front of me … really, honestly, and truly dead this time.

My chest hurt and I could feel myself shaking, my heart racing, my breath coming in shallow pants. It felt like I was having a panic attack. "It's over, Babe, he's gone. He can never hurt you again," Ranger murmured to me, trying to calm me. But I couldn't breathe. The room spun and I slumped back against him. Ranger had his hand on my ribs and when he pulled it away, it was covered with blood, my blood. Oh, this was so not good! From far away I heard him calling for help.

I'm pretty sure I must've zoned out because next thing I knew, Ranger was gone and I was lying flat on the floor. All these hands kept coming at me, pulling at my clothes, touching my face. I tried to scream and fight them off, to get away, but I couldn't take a breath. The hands grabbed my arms and pinned them over my head. The last thing I saw was the huge needle coming at me and everything got fuzzy, like thick clouds had rolled in.

From somewhere in the fog I heard Ranger's voice. "Stephanie! Stephanie … Stay with me, Babe. Stay with me." Of course I was gonna stay with him. Where did he think I was going? After all, he had the car keys.

RSRSRSRSRSRSRS

I didn't have any clue how much later it was when I came to, but I didn't even have to open my eyes to know where I was. The smell of alcohol and disinfectant and that friggin' beeping noise were a dead give away. Hospital … Dammit!

"Stephanie! Stephanie … open your eyes and look at me," the voice ordered while somebody grabbed my big toe and jiggled my foot. Jeez! Can't a girl get any sleep around here?

I grunted, struggling to pry my eyes open and look at him, but when I did, I sure didn't like what I saw. White coat, stethoscope, scrubs, stupid little paper hat … doctor. Crap!

"Unhh!" I sort of croaked, sounding more like a frog than myself. I tried to lick my lips but my tongue seemed to be glued to the roof of my mouth.

"Here," a nurse put a straw to my lips. "Take a sip, it'll help." I don't think I ever tasted anything as good as that water in my whole life. I drained the glass and leaned back against the pillows.

"What happened? Why am I here?" I mumbled with a yawn. "Owwww!" I winced when it hurt to inhale that deeply and I put my hand to the sore spot on my side. I was a little surprised to find a big bandage there. I must have gotten hurt, but I really didn't remember how.

The pain woke me up a little more and I realized that I had a needle stuck in the back of my hand and one of those oxygen thingies in my nose. I had some kind of monitor clipped to my finger and enough tubes and wires attached to me that I looked like I could do a space walk for NASA. I was surrounded by machines that beeped and booped and buzzed, all the noise setting my teeth on edge.

The doctor took my hand away from my side and placed it firmly back on the bed. Guess I wasn't supposed to touch. "We had to sew you up a little bit, and now we're pumping you full of antibiotics. Just to be on the safe side."

"Sew me up? Why?" I rasped out around the pain of inhaling.

"I understand you had a run in with some broken glass and … a sword?" He sounded skeptical as he read my chart. Guess my reputation hadn't spread as far as Washington, huh?

"Oh yeah," it was all starting to come back to me. "Napoleon wanted to chop my head off," I nodded. "He slit his own throat instead." Oh come on! It made perfect sense to me.

"Right…" The doctor and the nurse exchanged raised eyebrow looks over the bed. "She's on pain meds, and she still has the anesthesia in her system," the doctor muttered to the nurse. "Her memory should clear up when she's off all of that. If it doesn't, we'll have Psych come down and do an eval."

"Helloooo!" I stage whispered. "I'm right here! I can hear you!" Yeesh! He thought I was nuts! Ha! Proof positive he didn't know who he was talking to!

"Come on," the nurse said. "Let's sit you up so the doctor can listen to your lungs," and she raised the head of the bed slowly. I did the inhale/exhale/cough thing for him. It hurt like hell and told him so.

He gave me one of those patented doctor smiles. "It's to be expected. A long sliver of glass penetrated your chest wall which developed into a traumatic pneumothorax. Paramedics performed a needle thoracocentesis to relieve intrathoracic pressure which automatically re-inflated your lung. You just have to take it easy for a couple of weeks and you shouldn't have any further problems." He nodded at me like I was supposed to understand what he was talking about.

"Huh?" Scintillating conversation, I know, but he was talking a foreign language.

He sighed. "You had a sucking chest wound which resulted in a collapsed lung."

Sucking chest wound? Oh swell! Leave it to me to have an injury with the most disgusting name on the planet. "So, when can I get out of here?" I whispered, not wanting to take a deep breath. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful, but you know how much I love hospitals.

"Let's get all the antibiotics into you first, and then we'll see how you're doing. We'll shoot for the day after tomorrow." He tapping notes into his little Blackberry thingy, patted me on the knee when I whined, and left.

The nurse did all her nursey stuff, asked me if I was hungry, then smiled at me and tipped her head toward the door. "You have a small army of visitors waiting to see you, when you feel up to it, that is."

"Is Ranger out there?"

"Ranger? Oh, you must mean that gorgeous hunk of man flesh who came in with you!" She fluttered her eyelashes and sighed. "The girls down in the ER almost got into a fist fight over who was going to check his vitals, although I don't think it was his heart and lungs they were interested in," she said with a dreamy smile. "Is he yours? Because if he's a free agent, there's a line of willing candidates that'd wrap around the building."

Hmmm, I really didn't know how to answer that one, so I just gave her a smile and a shrug. She blew out a disappointed sigh, "Okay, I'll tell the girls that he's hands off. But there are lots of others to choose from in the waiting room. So, you ready for company?"

"I guess." I didn't need a mirror to know I looked like holy hell and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

She opened the door and called them in, cautioning them not to excite me or wear me out. The nurse waggled her eyebrows at me and with a wistful sigh, left. Tank, Bobby and Hector filed in. Uh-oh. No Ranger.

I looked from face to face. "Where's Ranger? I know he got hurt. Is he okay?" I whispered since it still hurt to take a breath.

"Take it easy, Bombshell! He's fine," Tank pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. "They stitched him up while you were in surgery, and we finally convinced him to go for a CAT scan, just to check that his brains weren't scrambled. Lester went with him to make sure he didn't rabbit." The thought of anybody forcing Ranger to do something he didn't want to do was pretty funny.

Bobby came around the far side of the bed and bent to kiss me on the cheek. "You look a lot better than the last time I saw you, Steph. I don't like it when you worry me." He plunked a stack of magazines on my lap. Wow! He really must have been worried. He brought me all girl magazines, Cosmo, Marie Claire, Vogue … not a single Playboy or Guns and Ammo in the lot!

"Thanks," I whispered. "Everything hurts, but it'll get better, I guess." He squeezed my hand and I squeezed back.

Hector sat on the foot of the bed, looking me over. I knew he was taking in the cuts and bruises that Abruzzi had given me. He whipped out a butterfly knife and flipped it open, twirling it in his fingers. "Too bad he's dead," he said with a wicked grin. "I would have shown him how to _really_ use a blade." I'll just bet he would have too.

"How long have you been here?" I asked Tank. I must have been out of it for quite a while if he had time to get here from Trenton.

"Since last night, about eighteen hours now," Tank said, looking at his watch. "Nobody knew how badly you were hurt and we figured Ranger would want to stay with you, so I came down to liaison with the local cops and the feebs." He looked at me and smiled like a proud papa. "I gotta tell ya, Steph! Ya done _good_! Your bluff was right on the money when you told Abruzzi that the whole family was under surveillance. That's why they tore out the door like that … right into the waiting arms of the feds. They've all been on the FBI's 'watch list' for a long time."

"Really?" I was stunned. These were all high society types. At least that's what the papers all said.

"Yep! You know, they had money and power and political connections, lots of polish, but they were still just Family, with a capital F. Fraud, money laundering, kidnapping, gambling, prostitution, you name it. They were being investigated under the RICO Act for racketeering on both the state and federal level. That's why Abruzzi offed his brother; the New Jersey Attorney General was on to him.

"I still can't believe he killed his own twin," I whispered.

"Nobody knew he had one since they were separated at birth. The whole idea was to 'kill off' Eddie and then show up as his brother, who would be swept into the loving arms of the Abruzzi family. And Eddie, pretending to be his brother, could just set up shop someplace else. It was pretty slick and they would've gotten away with it, too, if they hadn't gotten greedy and gone after that insurance money. The case was closed that nobody would have ever given Eddie Abruzzi another thought."

"So, am I in trouble … you know, for Abruzzi being _really_ dead and all?"

Tank shook his bald head. "Nope! You were still wearing the glasses with the camera and microphone in them. The whole thing was recorded, proof positive that his death was accidental, so you guys are golden." I would have breathed a huge sigh of relief if it hadn't hurt so bad.

"How about Ranger and … Harrison?" I'd been upset that Ranger _hadn't_ killed Abruzzi for me, and now I was heartsick that he _had_ killed the butler. Weird, wasn't it?

Bobby chimed in. "Use of reasonable force in defense of another. The guy will have a cast on his arm for about a year and one hell of a sore throat. But he's not gonna be playing tennis or singing opera in Federal prison, so, no worries there."

"He isn't dead?" I sat up so fast I made myself dizzy. Hector eased me back against the pillows.

"No. What made you think he was?" Bobby wanted to know.

"Oh, I don't know! Maybe the …" I grabbed my throat, crossed my eyes and stuck out my tongue real far, "and the gagging, and the turning blue, and the falling on the floor … he looked dead!" I hissed.

"Chica," Hector said quietly, "We are all trained." I noticed he didn't say 'trained killers'. "We know how much force to use to get the job done."

I gave him a kind of weak smile. "Good to know."

"So, when can we spring you from this joint?" Bobby changed _that_ conversation real fast!

I pointed to the plastic bag of meds that was attached to the needle in my hand. "They want to pump all that crap into me first. I don't even know why I need it."

"That would be my fault," Ranger said from the doorway. I felt a knot in my chest loosen when I saw that he was really all right.

"O-kay," Tank said, getting up out of his chair. "We're gonna go find something to eat. Can we bring you guys anything?"

"I could eat," I said with a shrug. Everybody chuckled which I didn't think was fair. I mean, come on! I hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast yesterday, and that was more than a whole day ago.

The guys trooped out, promising to come back with something that wasn't hospital food. They are gods!

Ranger pulled a chair over and sat next to the bed. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay. How about you?" He had a bandage on the back of his neck, where Abruzzi hit him, I guess.

"Massive headache that's gotten a lot better now that you're finally awake." He looked like he was thinking about smiling, but mostly he just looked tired.

"What did you mean when you said that the meds were your fault?"

"The only injuries you had were the small cuts from Abruzzi's sword." I made a 'go on' gesture with my hand. "Until I tackled you and threw you on the floor. That's when you landed on the glass that caused your lung to collapse." He hesitated a few long seconds, then looked me square in the eye. "I almost killed you."

I shook my head. "No, _Abruzzi_ almost killed me. You saved my life. I owe you."

The corners of his mouth tipped up. "No price, Babe. Anyway, you saved mine first. I guess that makes us even."

I smiled back. "That works."

Ranger sat in the chair next to the bed and stretched out his legs. "Did Tank tell you that the FBI and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office came down to talk to me?"

I nodded in response. "Are we in trouble?"

He smiled and shook his head. "I don't think impersonating a waiter is a federal offense."

"Considering everything that happened, it probably should be," I groused.

"Investigators from the AG's office are waiting to talk to you. Are you up for it?"

"Will you stay with me?" The thought of being alone in a room with Malfitano made my skin crawl.

Thankfully, the interviewers weren't Rinaldi and Malfitano, and all they really wanted to know is if anyone had given any indication of who the dirty cop was. Of course, they had the tape and already knew that no one had and I didn't offer my opinion of Malfitano. The meeting was short and sweet and over before I knew it. Afterwards, the nurse came in to give me some lovely pain meds, and to ogle Ranger, I'm sure. I started to feel all floaty and drowsy.

I leaned back against the pillows, ready to doze off when there was a soft knock on the door and Lester waltzed in. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers and a big, fluffy pillow.

"Hi Bomber," he stage whispered as he bent to kiss me lightly on the lips. "Good to see you almost awake. These are for you." He held out the flowers so I could smell them, then put the vase on the rolling table. The pillow he put on the foot of the bed.

"A pillow?" I asked. The flowers I understood, but a pillow?

"I thought that sitting on a pillow was more dignified than one of those rubber donuts." He grinned at me.

"Excuse me?" I looked back and forth between him and Ranger.

"Oh man! Those pain med she's on must be _really_ good!" Lester muttered.

Ranger leaned over and took my hand. "There was a _lot _of broken glass on the floor, Steph."

And then it hit me! "You mean I have glass in my ass?" I think my eyebrows rose up to my hairline.

Lester bit his lip and looked at the ceiling. "Not anymore!" He was trying hard not to laugh.

Oh God! I remembered the humiliation of carting around that rubber donut I had to sit on after Jimmy Alpha shot me in the ass. I clapped my hands over my face and whispered through my fingers, "Is there anything else that I need to know about?"

"Just the bald spot. But that's no big deal," Lester quipped. "Bald is hot!"

I think my eyeballs rolled out of my head. "The what?" I squeaked, feeling around on the back of my head. "Oh My God! They shaved my head?" I looked from Ranger to Lester and back again.

"Santos!" Ranger growled, and shot him a look that could pulverize bone.

Lester held up both hands. "Don't say it! I'm gone!" He turned and bolted out the door.

I could feel the shaved spot and the stitches that were in my scalp. My hair was still held back in the, now, very sloppy French braid and I immediately started to undo it. When I got near the stitches, a huge hunk of hair came loose in my hand and I looked at it in disbelief.

My eyes welled up as I held it out to Ranger and hot tears rolled down my face. "I _am_ ba-a-a-ald!" I wailed and started to sob. Of course, the more I sobbed, the more I hurt, which only made me cry harder. I know, I know. I was a mess. Blame it on the pain meds. They always made me act goofy.

Ranger sat on the edge of the bed and gathered me into his arms. "Shhhhh baby, don't cry. It'll be okay," he crooned, rocking me gently. "It's only a little spot and the rest of your hair will cover it. Nobody will ever know."

Ranger cradled my face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe the tears from my eyes. "As soon as we get back to Trenton I'll take you to Mr. What'shisname and we'll make him fix it, even if I have to hold him at gunpoint."

"Really?" I sniffled.

"I promise," he said softly and kissed me on the corner of my mouth. "And until then, I could always have Bobby bring you that blonde wig." He flashed me his wolf grin.

I stuck out my bottom lip and tried to pull away, but he tightened his arms around me and I could feel him shaking with silent laughter. "You're despicable!" I hissed, giving him a swat on the shoulder. "Stop laughing! This is tragic!" I hiccupped. He just laughed harder.

Two days later, with my release papers clutched in my hand, Lester wheeled me, and my big fluffy pillow, out to a RangeMan SUV. As soon as Ranger was sure I was going to be okay, he headed back to Trenton … with my blessing. Lester and Bobby kept me company and entertained me, but I was more than ready to get home.

Of course, I wasn't alone for long. My mother came bearing pot roast and pineapple upside down cake. She told me that Ranger had stopped by and told her everything that happened in Baltimore and Washington. Well, almost everything, if you know what I mean. There are some things that a mother just doesn't need to know about her daughter's sex life. I swear to God that her eyes glazed over every time she mentioned Ranger's … excuse me, Carlos' name.

Mary Lou brought Rex home. He backed out of his can and twitched his whiskers and went back in. He was so excited to see me. Lou wanted all the details of my trip, and she wasn't talking about Abruzzi either. Lula and Connie showed up with donuts and coffee for the same reasons. Tank stopped by with my license and credit cards and cell phone that I had left at RangeMan when I became Samantha the waitress. The Merry Men brought pizza and beer and movies. Dillon came up to watch a game with me. Eddie came by for lunch, Carl honked and waved from the parking lot, Big Dog wanted to play 'I'll show you my scars and you show me yours'. I said no. Hell, even Vinnie called … but that was just to see when I'd be back to work.

Just about the only person I didn't hear from was Ranger, and the silence was deafening.

Eddie called and told me that there would be a hearing the next day so that the Special Prosecutor could formally drop the charges against Joe. He said he'd take me if I wanted to go. I really had to think it over before I called him back and accepted his offer. To tell you the truth, I was hoping that Joe would have some explanation, give me some reason for everything he did.

I dressed up to go to court. I wanted to look mature, adult, and professional… all the things I wasn't. I put my hair up, spent time on my makeup, wore a suit and jewelry even. I must have done a pretty good job because Eddie whistled when I opened the door for him.

Luckily, I didn't need my pillow to sit on anymore. Of course, I would have been willing to sit on a bed of nails before I sat on that pillow in public. A girl has to have some pride, you know.

Eddie and I got to the courthouse early and sat in the last row in the courtroom. Mark Cutler, Joe's lawyer, stopped to thank me for all my work on Joe's behalf. He said he thought that Joe would be very grateful. I had to wonder about that.

I almost didn't recognize Joe when he was brought into the courtroom, he looked so different. He looked bulked up, his hair shorter, his eyes colder than I'd ever seen them. His personality had undergone a radical change too. He swaggered in and sprawled in a chair at the defense table. The bailiff had to tell him twice to stand when the judge took the bench. He sounded cocky when he spoke, practically sneering at the judge and prosecutor. I didn't know the man who was in that courtroom.

The judge call for order and all charges against Joe were formally dismissed. Just like that, Joe was a free man. He stood up and looked around the courtroom, his eyes passed over me like I was invisible, not even a flicker of recognition.

Eddie took my hand and squeezed it. "He'll come around Steph. He just needs some time."

"I'm not so sure about that, Ed." I watched Joe slap his lawyer on the back and do some kind of fancy handshakes with a bunch of guys sitting up front.

"You know them?" Eddie leaned over and asked. I shook my head. "Looks like Joe's hanging with a new crowd." The way he said it, I knew it wasn't a good thing.

Surrounded by his new posse, Joe strode down the aisle without meting my eyes. He stopped to talk to someone behind me, and when I turned to look, I was surprised to see Ranger standing in the back of the courtroom, dressed in full corporate mode.

Joe folded his arms over his chest. "You said you could get me out, and you did. I shoulda called you sooner." He tipped his head toward me. "You earned your fee. She's all yours! Me? I woulda asked for money!" and he threw his head back and laughed all the way out of the courtroom. He'd never even looked at me.

Eddie was on his feet, fury written all over his face. I just pulled him back down next to me. "Not worth it, Ed," I looked down at my hands in my lap and concentrated on my breathing, determined not to let anyone know how I felt.

Someone moved into my field of vision and I looked up at Ranger. Something dangerous was simmering right under his blank face and I was almost afraid to find out what it was. "Pay-up time," he said, and held his hand out to me. "I'm collecting on the debt."

Oh boy!

_TBC …_

_A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post, but flu, car repairs, babysitting, repairmen, and life in general all got in the way. But, __at least Eddie's gone for good. And now it looks like Ranger is going to collect on his deal … Do you think he really will? He'd never force Steph to do something she didn't want to do, would he? But when doesn't she want to 'do' Ranger? Hmmmmmmmm…_

_Okay, so today is my birthday. Yesterday my husband brought me flowers (which was very nice) and told me that was in case he forgot to wish me Happy Birthday today. He forgot! Can you say 'divorce'? So since I'm still a review slut, how about sending me a birthday review? See, I'm not above begging … LOL! Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, I hope I replied to you all..._

_Stayce_


	24. Could This Be Love?

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

**We were given: **

**Two hands to hold. **

**Two legs to walk. **

**Two eyes to see. **

**Two ears to listen. **

**But why only one heart? **

**Because the other was given to someone else. **

**For us to find.  
****Unknown**

Chapter 24: _Could This Be Love?_

I sat in the courtroom, literally vibrating with anger, my hands clenched in my lap. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of restraining myself from jumping up and sucker punching Ranger right in the kisser. A good, solid sock in the nose would wipe the smug expression off his face, don't you think? 'Pay up time' my ass! Who the hell did he think he was?

I took a deep breath and held it, determined I wasn't gonna make a scene, at least not in front of Morelli. Joe's routine had been bad enough, but honestly, I wasn't surprised by anything _he_ said or did anymore. I came here today pretty much expecting him to pull _something_,to give me some parting shot, and I just let it all roll off my back. Joe rated an eye roll and that was about all the effort I was wasting on him!

Mr. Mighty Manoso, however, had really pissed me off. I know I curled my lip at him; I think I probably even growled! Ranger had been 'in the wind' for over a week. He'd pulled another disappearing act and I hadn't seen or heard from him at all. If he thought he could just waltz in here _now _and pull this crap on me, and I'd just sit here and take it, oh man, did he have another thing coming!

Eddie stiffened beside me. If he'd been angry with Joe, he was furious with Ranger. He put a protective arm around my shoulders and leaned across me toward Ranger.

"If you think I'm letting you humiliate Stephanie by hauling her off like some cheap carnival prize, Manoso, you are out of your fucking mind!" he hissed at Ranger. "She's taken enough hits from that son of a bitch and his family," he jutted his chin toward Joe. "I'm not letting you take a swing at her too!" He rubbed my shoulder soothingly. "You sure had me fooled. I can't believe you turned out to be a bigger prick than Morelli."

Ranger's face didn't change; he just squatted down in the aisle next to me. He must have read my mind because he put his hand on top of my fists, I guess so I couldn't clock him. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.

"Stephanie, that was sarcasm. I don't know what's going on with Morelli, why he'd try so hard to hurt you, especially after everything you've done to help him," he whispered, tightening his grip on my hands. "But I think it's time you gave him a taste of his own medicine.

I knew that Joe was watching. I could feel his eyes on me. Hell, when I glanced over at them, the whole Morelli clan was staring at me, probably waiting for me to dissolve into tears, or to throw myself at Joe and beg him to take me back.

Right! Like that was gonna happen! I'd taken all the shit off Morelli and his family that I could stand. He'd screwed me over for the very last time! Just the thought that they were all standing around, waiting for me to break down or burst into tears for their entertainment pleasure, really goosed me into action.

"Remember that little scene we put on in front of Antoine's house?" Ranger asked with an evil grin. I nodded back at him. "Then play along, Steph. Let's give them the kick in the ass they all deserve."

No way was I gonna let that bunch think that Joe'd gotten rid of me by trading me off like some old car. He and his family had blindsided me once. They'd left me homeless and broke, but not broken. Now, they wanted a show? Oh baby! Were they ever gonna get one!

I glanced at Eddie and he gave me a nod of approval and a wink. "Go get 'em, kiddo!" He flicked his eyes toward Ranger. "I was wrong," was all he said and the two men nodded at each other. Eddie dropped a kiss on the top of my head and sauntered out of the courtroom, grinning so wide I thought his face would break.

I turned back to Ranger and gave him a brilliant, if slightly forced, smile. "That's my girl," he said with a warmth in his voice that shot right through me. He took my fists and uncurled my fingers, rubbing his thumbs over the half-moon shaped dents I'd put into my palms with my own nails.

"You sure you want to go public like this?" I asked, searching his face. "Everybody'll think that this is for real." God! My mother would be renting out the Polish/American Hall and hauling out the seating charts.

"I don't mind if you don't!" I swear his eyes twinkled.

"Okay then, your funeral." I cupped Ranger's face in my hands, leaned in, and kissed him right on the mouth. His hand was on the side of my neck, holding me so I couldn't break the kiss until he was ready. I swear the Morellis' took a collective gasp that practically sucked all the air out of the courtroom.

Oh good! I had their attention. "I can't wait to 'pay up'!" I said flirtatiously. That wasn't lost on the Morellis either and they started grumbling.

Ranger took my hands and stood, playfully pulling me to my feet. He guided my arms around his neck and skimmed his hands around my waist, pulling me flush against him. Giving me his wolf grin, he whispered, "This is for all the times we hid in the alley." He lowered his mouth to mine and I melted into him. His tongue slipped between my lips and I lost myself in that kiss.

It lasted until a couple of the courtroom spectators whooped and the smiling bailiff yelled at us to go get a room.

"Already got one!" Ranger tossed back at him. I giggled and hid my face in Ranger's neck. Yeah, yeah! I know. But remember, I was putting on a show here!

The Morelli clan was stunned. I don't know what they were all expecting, but this sure wasn't it! The expression on Angie's face could have stopped clocks and you could tell that Bella was working up a curse to throw at me. I just couldn't stop laughing. Gee! I don't think they were enjoying my performance.

Ranger tapped a kiss to the tip of my nose, then bent and put his mouth close to my ear. "Proud of you, Babe," he said as he gathered me to his side and we strolled toward the doors.

I gave him a deep, sexy laugh for effect and whispered, "Yeah well, we've done this before."

"Oh yeah," Ranger smiled back at me. "But this time somebody's really watching." He murmured, nuzzling my temple.

I leaned my head against Ranger's shoulder and slid my hand inside his suit jacket. Laying it over his heart, I patted gently. "Louse! Screw with me again and I'll rip this out and eat it raw!" I said through a smile so wide my face hurt.

He tipped his head back and laughed. "I'd love to screw with you again!" He kissed me hard and fast, then hustled us out of the courtroom, right past Joe, the Wicked Bitch of the West, Angie, and her own personal Flying Monkey, Bella.

Ranger had his arm around my shoulders and I had mine around his waist. We made it outside to the portico, and stopped short as a wave of reporters and photographers surged up the stairs toward us. I took a step to the side, expecting that they would all charge past us and head straight for Joe. But no, _I _was their target. I tried to escape, but Ranger held me in place before I could get away.

"Miss Plum, Miss Plum, over here! … Hey Stephanie! How does it feel to know that you took down the entire Abruzzi crime family? Bombshell! When did you realize that Eddie Abruzzi was still alive … Steph, Steph …" A couple of dozen microphones were shoved in my face and the flashbulbs were blinding. I looked at Ranger in wide-eyed panic as he took a step behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "You'll do fine," he said with a genuine smile. "You deserve some good press for a change."

Well, yeah, that'd be nice! But let's face it, reporters and photographers had never been my friends. They'd chronicled just about every exploding car and embarrassing moment of my entire career as a bounty hunter. I wasn't at all sure that this wasn't just another ambush and I'd be on the front page again, looking like a fool.

Ranger squeezed my shoulder in reassurance though, so I took a deep breath, resigned myself to my fate, and started fielding questions.

"Oh yeah, I was scared to death. Abruzzi was going to chop my head off!"

"What? Yes, I had surgery and spent four days in the hospital and I'm feeling much better. Mr. Manoso was hurt too, protecting me."

"Oh no, I don't think we're heroes."

"No, Mr. Manoso and I were trying to clear Joe Morelli of murder charges and, honestly, just tripped over the Abruzzi Family connection."

"Yes, Mr. Manoso saved my life." I smiled at Ranger.

"No, Mr. Morelli and his family haven't thanked either one of us."

"Yup, Eddie Abruzzi is really dead this time."

And on and on …

One of the reporters turned to Ranger. "Mr. Manoso, what do you think of Miss Plum?"

Ranger put his arm around my waist and pulled me back against his chest. "I think she's amazing. She's brave, smart, beautiful, and so loyal to her friends that she'll risk her life to help them." He shot a look over at Morelli. "What more could any man want in his woman!"

Okay, so I knew that Ranger was saying all that for Joe's benefit, but I have to admit, it was nice to hear.

It wasn't lost on the reporters that I totally ignored Joe, who was just as busy totally ignoring me. He was laughing and high-fiving all his new-found buddies. The Morelli women stood off to the side and watched me being interviewed, their faces as sour as if they'd been sucking lemons. I guess it really galled them that I was the center of attention. I had to resist the urge to turn around and stick my tongue out at them. Yeah, I know, but nobody ever accused me of being mature.

After Ranger and I managed to escape from the reporters and photographers, some of them migrated over to Morelli. Ranger and I started down the steps and the last thing I heard was Angie's strident voice telling the reporters that I'd been a tramp since I was a kid, that it was all my fault her saint of a son had been arrested, and it was too bad that Abruzzi hadn't killed me. So much for gratitude.

Hearing her harangue, Ranger tightened his arm around me. I leaned my head against his shoulder and blew out a sigh. Suddenly, I was exhausted. Halfway down the steps he stopped and turned me to face him. "Don't listen to her. She's only trashing you to make Joe look better. If he was really all that perfect, she wouldn't need to do that."

He put a hand on my cheek and pressed a kiss to my forehead. That was the picture that appeared on the front page of the Trenton Times the next morning. The article about Joe? It was buried on page seventeen, right next to a Roto-Rooter ad. My mother was practically dancing in the street.

Ranger kept his arm around me as we walked to his car, illegally parked at the curb in front of the courthouse. We stopped next to the Mercedes and I decided it was time to take the bull by the horns. I had questions and I needed answers. "Okay, so thanks for all that," I jerked my thumb toward the courthouse. "But what made you show up this morning? I mean, you haven't been around in more than a week, and now … here you are. How come?"

He shrugged. "We thought you needed somebody to watch your back."

"We?" I asked, instantly suspicious. "We who?"

"Your mother and I," Ranger said matter-of-factly.

I think my eyes bugged right out of my head and I swear I had a bruise on my jaw from where it hit the pavement.

"My _mother_? When did you talk to my mother?" I squeaked.

"Every day," he replied, as if that explained it all. He beeped open the locks on the Mercedes and reached for the handle.

I slammed my hand against the car door so he couldn't open it. "Hold it! Are you telling me you got daily updates from my _mother_?" I just couldn't get past that part.

Ranger looked at me like I might be going over the edge. "Yes…" he said slowly.

I smacked my head with my hand and all the little pieces fell into place. Oh My God! It all made perfect sense now. Mom would show up a couple of times a day to bring me food and check my bandages, make sure I took my medicine, she cleaned and chatted and did my laundry. I thought it was because she was worried about me but she was really a mole, an undercover agent for Ranger! I spilled my guts to her over meatloaf sandwiches and Rice Krispie Treats, the Plum family version of truth serum!

I spun back to face him. "My mother was your _snitch_?" I practically yelled at him.

He gave me a full 200 Watt smile and started to chuckle. I punched him in the arm, but it only made him laugh harder. "I wanted to make sure you were all right so I called your mother. She gave me a daily report on how you were healing, nothing else, I promise." He started to take my arm, but I slapped his hands away.

"Wait a minute! I don't get it. Why didn't you just call me yourself?"

He gave me an odd look. "I did. I left a couple of messages on your cell phone. When you didn't call back, I thought it was your way of telling me that you needed some space so I just backed off. I went to the Boston office to take care of a few things and only got back last night."

Crap! Bobby had brought me back my very dead cell phone, which was still plugged into the charger in my bedroom. I was using the phone that RangeMan had issued 'Samantha Pardo'. I felt like a total idiot. I gave myself a mental head slap this time, and told Ranger why I hadn't answered his calls.

"Good to know! I thought you were avoiding me again," he said, backing me against the side of the car and kissing me, gently at first, letting it deepen slowly.

I was more than a little breathless when we finally broke apart. "Morelli watching?" I asked as I uncurled my fingers from his very expensive lapels and smoothed the wrinkles out of the fabric.

"Nope. That one was entirely for me," and he pressed another kiss against my lips. Oh boy!

Ranger opened the car door and handed me gently into the Mercedes, apparently aware that my butt and my side were still tender. He slid on his mirrored sunglasses and pulled away from the curb, smooth as silk. I expected him to take me home, but he threaded his way through Trenton traffic and picked up 295 South instead.

Of course I had to ask, "Where are we going?"

He didn't even look at me, just said, "You'll see!" and slipped right into his driving zone. I rolled my eyes so far up in my head I could see my hair grow.

"I saw that," he said, the corners of his mouth tipped up.

We flew down the highway like we were the only car on the road and, a little while later, Ranger took the Cherry Hill exit.

Winding through the streets, we finally pulled into the parking lot of a 'seen better days' strip mall. I checked out the stores, but I couldn't figure out where Ranger was headed. There was a beauty shop, a deli, a liquor store, a stop and rob … where on Earth was he taking me?

He pulled to a stop right in the middle of two parking spots, and got out of the Mercedes, totally relaxed and at ease. Taking off his jacket, he laid it on the back seat, loosened his tie, popped open his top shirt buttons, and rolled up his sleeves before coming around to open my door and help me out. The man was just not capable of NOT looking sexy.

His hand was in the small of my back as we crossed the parking lot and he held open the door of Goldberg's Deli for me. What the hell was Ranger doing in a deli anyway? There wasn't a single thing in the place that wouldn't defile The Temple, if you know what I mean.

The heady aromas of corned beef and pastrami and dill pickles were heavenly, but I was still dealing with all the emotional overload from all that crap at the courthouse. For the first time in my whole life, I didn't have an appetite.

I shot him a sideways look as he ushered me to a back booth, naturally, and sat with his back to the wall. Some things never changed. A waitress hustled over and greeted Ranger by name, bending to kiss him on both cheeks. She handed me a menu and asked Ranger if he wanted his 'usual' and got a nod in response.

"Hey boychick!" a rotund little man behind the counter yelled, "Where you been at?" and he came over and pumped Ranger's hand, slapping him on the shoulder.

Ranger introduced us, and Lenny Goldberg studied me for a second. "I know you," he said, shaking a finger at me. "You're that Bombshell Babe! The one took care of Abruzzi! We gotta get a picture!" He grabbed hold of the busboy. "Nathan, get the camera! Run! Quick! We got a famous person here!" He turned back to me. "You autograph it and we hang it on our Wall of Fame." I had to laugh at how the tables had turned. Today I was famous, yesterday I'd been infamous.

"So, what am I going to feed you today, pretty lady? One taste of my corned beef will make you forget all about this ugly schlemiel." He jerked his thumb toward Ranger. "God Himself orders my pastrami, and my roast beef," he closed his eyes in bliss, "will melt in your mouth!"

I looked up into his smiling face. "I'm sorry, but it's been a really rough morning, and I'm afraid my stomach …"

"… needs chicken soup!" he finished for me, shaking his finger in the air. "Nadine," he bellowed. "Bring my new friend a bowl of the best!" He turned back to me, "Matzo balls or kreplach or both?"

I started to say no, but Lenny totally ignored me. Guess I was having soup after all. I looked at Ranger for help, but he just grinned and shrugged a shoulder. "Matzo balls, please."

Nadine brought a tray and put the steaming bowl in front of me. To my amazement, she put a bottle of root beer and a plate with a huge pastrami on rye, cole slaw, olives and pickles in front of Ranger. I watched, goggle-eyed I'm sure, as he slathered the meat with Russian dressing, took a bite … and moaned. I swear to God, the man moaned!

He held out the sandwich to me, "Want a bite?"

I just shook my head dumbly, still in shock, staring at him like it was feeding time at the zoo. I snapped out of it and tore my eyes away from him, determined not to stare at Ranger and his sandwich like I'd never seen anybody eat before.

I shook my head to clear it. "Good, huh?" I said without looking at him.

"Fantastic! There's only one thing I like to eat more than this," he said and took another big bite.

"Really? What's that?" I asked, fascinated that the man who lived on egg white omelets and unflavored fat free yogurt actually had taste buds.

His eyes twinkled as he looked at me. "Plum pie," he replied with an evil grin.

I felt my face flame and immediately focused on my soup, chopping up the matzo balls into tiny little pieces like my life depended on it. Anything so I wouldn't have to look at Ranger, who seemed to be having a ball embarrassing me today. I couldn't get over how differently he was acting. If this was his attempt at distracting me from Joe and his family, he was doing a slam bang job of it!

The soup was to die for and before I knew it, I had an empty bowl in front of me. It was immediately replaced by half a roast beef on rye, cole slaw, pickles and a bottle of root beer.

I took a bite of the kosher dill. It was so salty and vinegary and dilly and delicious that it made my lips pucker up. Ranger grinned at my reaction and leaned across the table to kiss me. He pulled back and licked his own lips, "Delicious!" I know I turned red, again, especially when I caught Lenny watching and nodding in approval.

I couldn't believe it, but I actually passed up seven layer cake, a Hungarian dessert my mother made on only the most special occasions because it was so much work.

"You eat like this often?" I asked Ranger as I leaned back in the booth sipping a cup of coffee. I couldn't believe it, but I actually passed up Lenny's 'world famous' Doboshtorte, a Hungarian seven layer cake that my mother made on only the most special occasions because it was so much work. What I really needed now was a nap. I was pretty sure I'd be sound asleep before we got out of the parking lot.

"No," he shook his head. "It's a guilty pleasure, and definitely something I wouldn't want my employees to find out about."

"I'll bet! So I guess that means I know a secret about The Man of Mystery," I teased. "With all the fat-free, sugar-free, salt-free healthy stuff you stock in the break room, the Merry Men would probably mutiny if they ever found out you ate like this," I said, waving a hand at the empty plates.

He nodded, "My fate is in your hands," he said, so seriously that I had to laugh.

"You have any other guilty pleasures I should know about?" I smiled over the rim of my coffee cup.

"Only one." He looked at me over his cup and cocked an eyebrow. I blushed again. Odd how much I'd been doing that today, huh?

Ranger and Lenny argued over the tab, with Ranger winning of course. He left Nadine a hefty tip and promised to come back soon. As we left, Lenny hugged and kissed me like we were old friends. He pressed a pastry box into my hands. I wouldn't miss dessert after all.

And yes, I had my picture taken with Lenny. By the time we left the deli, the bus boy was back from the One Hour Photo place with the prints which I happily autographed. Lenny found the perfect place on the Wall of Fame, right next to a picture of Ranger, done up in SWAT gear and shades, looking dangerous, and oh so sexy.

"So what made you decided to share this deep, dark secret with me?" I asked him as we walked back to the car.

He gave me a side-long glance and a half smile. "I figured you could handle the ugly truth," he quipped.

I sighed. The only truth I really wanted was to know if he was serious about that 'Pay up time' crack. Those were the same exact words he'd used when he came to my apartment to collect on the de Chooch deal. That realization made my stomach do a flip flop. I mean, was he really serious? Of course he was! Ranger never said anything he didn't mean. Well, crap!

We'd reached the car by then and Ranger beeped it open and handed me in and got behind the wheel. I was going to have to pull up my big girl panties and ask him. Now or never.

He was just about to turn the key in the ignition and I took a deep breath, for courage, and I put my hand onto his to stop him. "Before you zone out on me, I need to ask you something?"

He slid his sun glasses up on top of his head and when he turned to look at me, I decided that this was the perfect time to chicken out. I mean, I really didn't want to piss him off and have to hitchhike home from Cherry Hill, and a few more days wouldn't make any difference anyway, would it? We'd had such a great time talking and laughing over lunch. Why the hell did I want to go and ruin that? "Oh, um, never mind, it … it's not important … it can wait," I stuttered.

He studied me for a minute and I stared out the window, looking at anything but Ranger. "Ask," was all he said. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned toward me, his arm resting on the steering wheel.

Why I was so overcome by nerves, I'll never know. But I just couldn't bring myself to face him. I puffed my cheeks and blew out a deep breath, I may have even whined a little. "Did you mean what you said before?" I choked out. "I, um, mean about the, uh, 'pay up' thing."

"I mean everything I say to you, Stephanie." Crap! That's exactly what I was afraid of!

I still didn't look at him, just nodded and kept right on staring out the window at the parking lot. Ranger reached over and brushed the backs of his fingers across my cheek. I jumped so high that only my seat belt kept me from bashing my head on the roof of the car.

"Stephanie, we need to talk about this." There was nothing playful or teasing about his voice now. Corporate Ranger was back in town. "Now or later, it's up to you."

"Later." _Much, much later. Like years from now later!_

His fingers closed around my wrist and I looked down at his hand. "Are you trying to tell me that you want to renege on our deal?"

_Oh God, YES!_ I wanted to yell. Instead I just sighed and shook my head 'no'. "I gave you my word," I almost whispered. I still hadn't looked at him.

He watched me for another couple of seconds, then started the car and rolled out of the parking lot, headed back to Trenton. A few minutes ago all I could think about was taking a nap. Now, that was a total impossibility. I had way too many questions running around in my brain to fall asleep now. Too many questions and nowhere near enough answers.

I thought back to the agreement we'd made in Belmar. I'd been working the evidence, trying to find out who'd bought the gun, convinced that I'd find something there to clear Joe. Ranger was working on finding the real killer. We'd agreed to work all the angles together, giving it our best shot. If we found that something with the evidence cleared Joe, then I would win and there'd be no pay off. But if we found the real killer and _that_ cleared Joe, then Ranger won and I had to pay up.

No two ways about it, Ranger had won … soooo … I guess it really was pay up time. The trouble was I had no earthly idea just what the tab was. And that really was all my fault. Denial being my best friend, I had managed to deny myself into believing that I'd be the winner so there'd be no pay-off.

Fat lotta good that did me now! In Miami Ranger told me that his help came with a price, and he'd asked me if I was willing to pay it, no matter what it was. Did I ask him what that price would be? Nooooo! Thanks to my buddy denial, dummy me just said 'yes'. I gave myself a mental head slap _and_ a kick in the ass for that one! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Ranger had told Joe that his fee for getting him out of jail would be ME. I would work for his company, eat at his table, and sleep in his bed. O-kay, so what the hell was that supposed to mean? Again, did I ask him? Of course not!! I had just filed that all away under 'Denial'! For all I knew, I could have agreed to be the official RangeMan Sex Slave!

Okay, so being Ranger's sex slave is the stuff that dreams are made of, but in this case, those dreams were more like nightmares. How humiliating would it be to have to put out on demand? Had I felt so guilty, been so desperate to clear Joe that I'd agreed to be Ranger's whore without even realizing it?

The wheels were still spinning so furiously that I didn't even realize that we'd pulled into my parking lot. For all my thinking, I hadn't been able to come up with a single answer, and all I'd managed to do was give myself a crashing headache. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I finally realized that Ranger and I were really going to have to have that talk after all.

Ranger helped me out of the car and even took the elevator with me, in deference to the still healing wound on my behind. I think I was limping a little bit; the heels and the long car ride hadn't helped any. He gave me a sidelong glance, "Pain in the butt?"

"Yeah," I said without looking at him. "You are." I swear, the words just popped out before I knew what I was saying!

We got to my door and he held out his hand for my keys so I dug around in my bag and handed them over. I leaned back against the wall, eyes closed, rubbing my aching head while he unlocked my door. I didn't even realize that Ranger had moved in front of me until he bracketed my head with his hands, making me jump.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, looking a little concerned as he handed me back my keys and a piece of paper.

"Who me? Oh yeah, I'm just peachy, great, never better," I babbled like an idiot. "Well, thanks for the lunch, I'll see ya around." I ducked under his arm and tried to escape into my apartment.

I almost made it, too. I got through the doorway when he snagged the back of my jacket. "Not so fast! We're going to have that talk, Stephanie. You chose later. It's later!" Well, shit!

Ranger took my arm and he might as well have hit me with a cattle prod. I scurried away from him and dove into the kitchen to put my dessert into the fridge. I figured I'd be safe if we were in different rooms. The first rule of dealing with Ranger was to keep out of touching distance. With my luck, his personal force field would scramble my brains and I'd be agreeing to do private pole dances for him, while being his sex slave, of course.

"You wanted to talk," I said brightly, my head in the refrigerator. "So talk." Can you say 'false bravado'?

I turned around and found myself chest to chest with Ranger. Since I couldn't climb into the refrigerator to get away from him, I tried to slip past him, but he was quicker and sneakier than I was, and he had me trapped against the counter with his hands braced on either side of me in nothing flat. I grabbed the edge of the counter and leaned back until my head hit the upper cabinets; he leaned in until we were almost nose to nose. Ulp!

"I know your modus operandi, Stephanie, but denial isn't going to make this go away. We are going to settle this, now." He was dead serious.

"Wha …" I sounded like Minnie Mouse and cleared my throat. "What did you have in mind?" Okay, that was better, at least I sounded like a human.

"Why don't you tell me what you think my services were worth to you?" He tipped his head to the side and watched me.

"Well, um, Rockford used to charge $200 a day plus expenses. I guess that sounds fair," I said hopefully.

He gave a low, throaty laugh that hit me somewhere south of my bellybutton. Way south. "Maybe two _thousand _a day, but I wasn't thinking in terms of dollars and cents. You'd be working to pay me off for the rest of your life and I'm not into slavery." He ran his fingers down my arm and encircled my wrist. "Now _bondage_ on the other hand …" He lifted my hand and pressed the tip of his tongue to the inside of my wrist.

I'm pretty sure my eyes rolled back in my head and I had a mini-orgasm. If he hadn't been pressed against me, I swear I would have slid right down to the floor.

"If, if, if …" I took a deep breath. "If you don't want money, then what?" I finally got out.

"Oh, I think you know what I want," he murmured, sliding his hands under my jacket and running them up my ribcage. He stopped just short of my breasts but still let his thumbs drift over my nipples making me ache in places I'd almost forgotten I owned.

I batted his hands away and folded my arms over my breasts. I had to do something to keep myself from tearing off my clothes and begged him to take me. His ego certainly didn't need any boosting!

He stepped back and considered me for a minute. "Time," he said finally. "I want your time. We worked together for forty-six days to clear Morelli. Forty-six days of my time and services. I believe a fair price would be forty-six days of _your _time andservices in return."

"Anh-hah!" I swallowed hard. "D-Define services." He was turning me into a stuttering fool.

That earned me a half smile. "While we worked together, my services included everything from traveling incognito to brainstorming to playing Happy Honeymooner. I provided expert advice, office space, computers, vehicles, body guards, rescue services, interrogation, man-power, transportation, clothing, food, companionship. We took care of those damned animals, I put up with Antoine … whatever was necessary at the time."

"And just exactly what kind of _services_ will you expect _me_ to provide?" I didn't know if I should be panic-stricken or pissed off. "You better spell it out."

"I'll make it easy. I told Morelli that I wanted you to work for my company, eat at my table, and sleep in my bed. I'll hold you to those three things and we'll work out the rest as we go along. Fair enough?"

I looked down at the floor and thought about it for a minute. "Fair?" I shook my head. "No. Your services were things that were necessary." I glanced up at him to gauge his reaction, but his blank face was firmly in place. "But I'll be at your beck and call and have to do anything you want me to. That your idea of fair?" When I put it like that, it sure sounded like slavery to me.

"Do you think I'd ever force you to do anything you didn't want to do, Stephanie?" His voice was low and calm, but there was some _something_ that I couldn't identify underlying it.

"That's a loaded question, Ranger," I said with a wry laugh. "We both know that you could get me to do anything you want me to."

"Then I suppose you'll just have to trust me." He walked over to me and tucked my hair behind my ear, letting his fingertips rest on my cheek.

"I guess I will."

He held out his hand to me. "Deal?" he asked. I looked at it for a long second before I took it. "Deal." I answered. I just hoped I wasn't going to regret this.

Ranger tapped a kiss to the back of my hand. "I have a meeting in a few minutes. I'll have some boxes delivered later on and you can start packing. If you need help, let me know. Your furniture will go into storage and the rest will go back to RangeMan. I'll have Ella make room for you in the closet. Just let her know if there's anything you want her to stock for you. Whenever you're ready to start moving your things over just give me a call and …."

"Hold it, bucko! You expect me to just drop everything and move in with you? What about my apartment? What about my job? What about …" I was really starting to work up a head of steam here.

Ranger held up a hand to stop me. "Haven't you talked to Dillon?"

"No. About what?" I must have looked at him like he had two heads. Well, he does, but I meant two heads on his shoulders.

"Apparently Dillon's been trying to get in touch with you. The old guy who rented this apartment is moving in next week. You have to be out by Friday."

"Friday?" I practically screeched. "That's only four days away? And how do you know?" I demanded.

"This was slipped under the door." He reached over and picked up the paper he had handed me with my keys. I had tossed it onto the kitchen counter without looking at it. It was a note from Dillon. Ranger was right. I had to be out by Friday night. Oh My God!

I held the note out to Ranger. "I, uh, where …" I was at a loss for words.

He took me by the shoulders. "Listen," he said softly. "I need a favor. I have a business dinner that I've _got_ to go to on Friday night. Cocktail attire. I'd like you to go with me. By the time we get back, everything will be packed up and out of here, and you'll be all moved into the penthouse."

"But, I, uh…"

"And while we're at it, let's add companionship to that list of services," he said like he was ordering from a menu.

"Wha …" I guess I was a little stunned at the speed all this was happening and my head was spinning. But Ranger just wrapped his arms around me and pulled me flush against his body. "Trust me, Stephanie," he whispered against my lips.

He took my mouth, kissing me until I was gasping for breath, banishing all thoughts of argument from my head. I think I would have agreed to just about anything he asked for just then.

"We're gonna do this, Babe. And it's gonna be good." All I could do was stand there doing my goldfish impersonation with no words coming out of my mouth. Ranger put two fingers under my chin and closed my mouth, gave me a peck on the lips, and was gone.

It probably took a good five minutes for my head to clear and for normal brain function to resume and I _still_ couldn't figure it out. I was losing my apartment, moving in with Ranger, giving him forty-six days of my services, whatever they were … How did that happen?

I realized Ranger had just quoted himself again. It was something else he'd said to me when he came to collect on the de Chooch deal, and look how well _that_ had ended. Oh, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. This was soooo not good.

All I could think was that, God help me, I had just sold my soul to the Devil! And the devil's name was Ranger.

TBC …

Well, did she? Sell her soul to the devil, that is? Do you think she can get out of the deal? Do you think she'll want to? Ranger's got something up his sleeve … what do you think it is? Work for my company, eat at my table, sleep in my bed, companionship … what do you think that means???

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I keep every single one!

Stayce


	25. Acts of Love!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

**The best proof of love is trust.  
**_**--Dr. Joyce Brothers**_

**A/N:**** As most of you fabulous readers know, I try to respond to every review that I receive, no matter if it's good, bad, or ugly. I appreciate the time and effort that each reader takes to let me know how they feel about my stories… it's the only pay check we fan fiction writers get for all our work, and it's how some of us measure how successful we are. And just for the record, I keep every single review. Each one of them is precious to me no matter how long or short, positive or negative they are.**

**The only problem I have is with unregistered reviewers on . I have no way of responding to those reviews privately. So to all of you who have reviewed my stories that way, thank you so much for reading and reviewing Love and for feeding my, always hungry, inner review slut.**

**After I posted the last chapter of Love, I received an anonymous review that I just HAVE TO reply to, so please bear with me.**

**mel7190 wrote:  
****2009-12-14 . chapter 24 ****Your writing is very good. However, I know that Babes have a need for Morelli to be the bad guy, but even in your story it's inconsistant. It's not hard to understand why Morelli might take Rangers disgusting, f-ed up deal - he had no choice! He was facing life in solitary confinement for a crime RANGER comitted. Ranger was more than happy to allow Morelli to take the fall for him and USE Stephanie to force Joe's hand. Disgusting and opportunistic - not completely OOC for Ranger, but I seriously doubt that Stephanie would go along with something like that. Here Steph and Morelli were working on their relationship and doing well when this came up and Ranger took full advantage to get his way. Sorry, but I don't see the appeal for this guy nor do I see why any self-respecting woman would continue involvement with Ranger.**

Thank you for the compliment on my writing, Mel, I really appreciate it. Please know that I'm an adult and I realize that not everyone will like my stories. That's what the little x at the top right of the screen is for. I honestly don't mind negative criticism on my writing, story lines, sub-plots, characterizations, dialogue, etc. I'm a big girl, I can take it. What I do resent is anyone using reviews to bash the characters that we all claim to love … Ranger, Joe, and/or Stephanie, or the writers who work so hard to entertain us. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT … DON'T READ IT!

While your review was marked Chapter 24, it would probably have given you and your negative comments much more credibility had you actually READ all 24 chapters of _What I Did for_ _Love_, and based your criticisms on what I had written and not on a plot line that is _not_ in the story. Please, allow me to enlighten you. In _Love_, Ranger did NOT kill Abruzzi! In fact, Abruzzi wasn't even dead! And it turns out that HE was the murderer! Hellooo!

You've gotten your interpretation of canon and _What I Did for Love_ confused. Fan fiction is the one where the writer's imagination (creative ability) comes into play and we get to change canon. Like the stories where Joe and Steph work together, or are married with a bunch of kids, which certainly aren't canon, _Love_ isn't canon either!

In Love, Joe wasn't facing life in prison for a crime that Ranger committed because Ranger didn't commit any crime. Yes, Joe was framed for Abruzzi's murder, but both Ranger and Steph were instrumental in proving his innocence. Now Joe will have to find out who set him up. Spoiler Alert: It wasn't Ranger.

Who knew??? Well, anybody who actually read the story, that's who, and you weren't one of them! See? This is what happens when you only read the 'Joe parts'.

In addition, since the story is incomplete, you have absolutely no idea in what direction I intend to take it. Anyone who actually reads my stories knows how much I love twists and turns. You don't know if I've made Morelli a bad guy or if he's going to be a hero. But because I'm a Babe, you've simply assumed the worst. You _do_ know what they say about people who assume, right?

Yes. Both Ranger and Joe have acted badly in this story. Bingo! That was the whole idea! _What I Did for Love_ isn't just the title; it's the theme for all the characters and the good, bad, stupid, wonderful, ridiculous things that they've done in the name of love. Again, it's called imagination. You should really familiarize yourself with that term; you're missing out on a whole lot if you don't.

Now, if Love _WAS_ an 'in canon' story, just what, exactly, do you think Joe was talking about when he asked Ranger, "How do you want to do this?" at the end of _Hard Eight_? Do you seriously think he was asking about who was going to take the girls home?

Since Police Detective Joe knew full well how Ranger would 'do this', and he took no action to stop him before hand, hell, he didn't even issue a warning to bring Abruzzi in alive, and then failed to report the murder after the fact, he aided and abetted the crime. According to the Law, that he's sworn to uphold, Joe is as responsible for Abruzzi's murder as if he pulled the trigger himself.

So, even in canon, Joe is _not_ innocent! He's just as culpable as Ranger, and could be arrested, charged, and tried for that crime. Plus, as a law enforcement officer, he's held to a higher standard, which he did not meet. So be careful when you climb on that high horse of yours, you just might fall off the other side.

And let's face it, we all know that had Joe and Ranger reversed roles and Joe had been the one to 'do this', you'd be touting it as the ultimate act of love on Joe's part.

Now, my question for you is this: If you find fics written by Babes who 'have a need for Morelli to be the bad guy' so offensive, why the hell would you read this one in the first place? It's clearly labeled Babe HEA. Masochistic, much? Or are you updating that list of 'Banned Babe Stories'?

So Mel or Clover or Suzzie or Bucky or whatever name you're using this week, get your facts straight. Maybe then you won't make such a total asshat out of yourself. As has so often been said about Babes and _our_ reading comprehension … I don't know what story you read, but it sure as hell wasn't _What I Did for Love_!

And remember, you could well be the Cupcake who inspired this story. Thanks, Babe!

Stayce

And now, back to Love:

Chapter 25: Acts of Love!

Mr. Efficiency, that would be Ranger, was true to his word and arranged to have a moving company pack up the apartment. They took Grandma Mazur's dining room furniture and Aunt Tootie's coffee table, plus all the stuff that my Mom and I had bought for the apartment, and deposited it at the mini-storage place down at the end of Hamilton Avenue. I didn't even have to lift a finger … well, yeah I did, but just to point.

The only thing I had to do by myself was sort out my clothes and personal junk, you know, hair stuff and make-up, those kind of things. And I really didn't even have to do that if I didn't want to since the moving company supplied packers. I could have just packed up what I wanted to take to RangeMan and let them deal with the rest.

But really, the thought of strangers pawing through my underwear? Hmmm, no. That just gave me the creeps… probably because of all the stalkers and perverts I've had to deal with. Not to mention Lester Santos! He's been dying to get into my underwear for ages… one way or another.

So the plan was that I'd separate out the stuff I wanted to take with me, box up everything else, and the movers would be back on Friday morning to cart it off to storage. All the rest of the furniture and appliances that Ranger had so generously supplied for me would go to RangeMan, the apartment keys would go to Dillon, and I would be officially homeless … again.

At least I didn't have to worry about having a roof over my head this time or being tossed out on the street. If nothing else, this whole arrangement should give me a chance to find a new place to live.

Anyway, I was standing there, in front of the dresser picking out all the things that I'd need for my forty-six day imprisonment. That's what I'd started thinking of it as ... a prison sentence … and Ranger was going to be my very own personal Warden. Oh joy!

Considering the rules that he'd set out, and stupid me had agreed to, I was gonna be working for him, eating with him, sleeping with him, and supplying companionship. I still wish I'd asked for a more detailed definition of the 'companionship' thing. I mean, wasn't that covered under the 'sleeping with' part? Or did _that_ qualify as entertainment?

No matter what though, starting tomorrow, it looked like Ranger would be in total control of my life, 24/7, for the next forty-six days … forty-six loooong days. He'd know where I was and what I was doing every minute, there'd be no escaping him. I wondered if he'd be listening in on my phone calls and reading my emails. It just pissed me off!

I knew Ranger, so I knew there'd be a tracking device on my vehicle, at least one in my bag, a GPS in my phone and God only knows how many others he'd plant on me. Hell, the more I thought about it, the more it sounded like house arrest … I might as well be fitted with an ankle monitor!

I sighed. Forty-six days under his thumb … among other, more tantalizing, body parts … if you catch my drift. That thought alone made me shiver. I had to keep telling myself that Ranger would never force me to do anything I didn't want to do.

"He said I'd just have to trust him," I told my reflection in the dresser mirror. "Thing is, I really don't know if I can anymore."

"_Well, that's all you own fault," _my Inner Jersey Girl reflection sniped back, with a toss of her head. _"You're the one who told him he could convince you to do anything he wanted you to do. Helloooo! You gave information to the enemy, ya big blabbermouth! He even warned you not to do that, but did you listen? Nooooooo!" _She shook her head in disappointment. _"And remember what he said about acting on partial consent?" _She snorted a laugh._ "Ha! You are SO screwed … well, maybe not yet, but you're gonna be!" _She waggled her eyebrows at me.

"Oh shut up!" I snapped back at her and threw another pair of panties on the 'take' pile. I hated it when she was right!

"_Or maybe," _she tapped a finger against her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes at me._ "Maybe you told him that on purpose? Maybe you want him to convince you? To seduce you, huh? Maybe I've underestimated you, and you're not so innocent after all." _She laughed. _"Just take a look at what you've been doing!" _She pointed to the stuff on top of the dresser.

"Wait! What? No!" I'd been standing there, mindlessly sorting through my undies while I tried to sort out my thoughts and had separated everything into two piles. 0ne was the stuff I'd take to RangeMan, and the other, the things I'd send to storage. My eyes practically bugged out of my head when I realized that I'd put every bra, panty, slip, nightie, teddy, garter belt and undie, that was even _remotely_ sexy in the 'take' pile.

"_Is that__ a 'Freudian Slip', no pun intended?"_ Jersey Girl grinned at me and pointed to a pretty cream lace slip that was in the 'take' pile. _"Think about it!"_

My eye started to twitch and my stomach knotted up. Oh my God! Was she right? Was there someplace, deep down inside me, that _wanted_ Ranger to 'convince me' to have sex with him? Was choosing all my sexy lingerie my subconscious attempt to egg him on?

I looked at the pile of barely there thongs and sheer lace demi-bras and backed away from the dresser, gripped by panic. No, she couldn't be right. I had the overwhelming urge to race to the mall and buy forty-six days worth of granny panties and plain white cotton bras, old fashioned flannel nightgowns and footed pajamas. That'd show her.

It sounded like a great idea and I grabbed my coat and purse and headed for the door. I made it as far as the living room when it hit me that, with my luck, probably Ranger'd think they were adorable. What the hell was I gonna do?

What I needed was a girls' night to make me feel better. I really wanted to call Lula and Connie and Val and Mary Lou, to have them come over to commiserate with me over a couple of containers of B&J. And the bottle of tequila I still had in the freezer. And the frozen margarita mix.

Problem was, I knew damn well they wouldn't see the down side of this arrangement. They wouldn't be able to get past the fact that I'd be working with Batman! Having dinner with the Man of Mystery! Sleeping with the Wizard! Nope, I wouldn't get any help from that crowd. I was on my own.

I blew out another sigh. I was gonna have to break down and tell Mary Lou about my move to RangeMan, but only because I had no choice. Since the apartment would be empty, I needed someplace to get ready for that damned cocktail party and her house was the logical place.

Originally I'd planned to go to my parents', but then I got this mental image of my mother, snapping pictures like it was Prom Night, and my blood started to curdle. So Mary Lou's it was! And much as I loved Lou, even she wouldn't see my problem with Ranger's Deal. Probably she'd even offer me her lace nightgown again.

Thursday afternoon found me leaning across Lou's kitchen table, our pinkies linked over cups of coffee and hunks of coffee cake. "I swear to God that I won't breathe a word, Steph, not even to Lenny," Lou crossed her heart and zipped her lips before I would let her pinkie finger go. "Okay, so now tell me what the big secret is!"

There was no easy way to break this kind of news to Lou, so I just waited until she put her coffee cup down, took a deep breath and jumped into the deep end of the pool. "I'm moving in with Ranger."

Her eyes opened wide, her mouth dropped open and she screamed. Thirty minutes later, when I'd finished the whole story about Ranger's Deal, I was still deaf in one ear and Lou's mouth was still hung open.

"Ohhhhhhh!" She breathed as she looked at me across the table, her hands pressed to her heart. "That's the most romantic thing I ever heard!" I swear to God tears welled up in her eyes. "It's just like _Beauty and the Beast_!"

"What? Are you nuts?" I squeaked at her, stunned by the reaction. "What the hell is so romantic about practically being held hostage?"

"What's romantic abou … ? When did you get to be such a cynic?" Lou demanded. "How can you be so blind?" Her eyes had that glazed, far away look.

I rolled mine. "Me? Blind? Oh Jeez, Lou. You've watched _waaaaay _too many Disney movies! This is my real life we're talking about, not a fairy tale!"

"Listen! Think about it. Dark, mysterious, loner … living a solitary life. He's got money, power, things … grabs the opportunity to have a taste of what other people have …" She closed her eyes and clasped her hands. "Beautiful girl he secretly pines after? How is that _not_ romantic?"

"Nope, not buying that for a second! You can't sell me on Ranger being some tragic hero." I said sarcastically. "He has friends, family, and can charm the pants off any woman on the planet."

"Any woman but _you_!" She slammed her hands down on the table for emphasis.

"He's had me! Twice! And both times he walked away. He's made it perfectly clear that he doesn't want anything more than a casual roll in the hay… when the mood strikes him." I got up to pace the kitchen. "And what am I supposed to do between moods? Just sit with my hands in my lap and wait for the phone to ring?"

"You make it sound like he just wants sex," she sulked.

"Bingo! His love comes with a condom, there's no price for what we give each other, his life doesn't lend itself to relationships … yaddah, yaddah, yaddah! There are no strings attached to that man, Lou! And let's face it, I have more strings than the New York Philharmonic!"

"Okay, fine," frustration was clear in her voice. "Just answer me this. Why did Ranger choose this particular pay off, huh?" She leaned back in her chair, folded her arms over her chest, and waited for me to chew over her question.

I shrugged and did the palms up thing. "How the hell should I know?"

Lou looked like she wanted to smack me upside of the head. "How many times has he watched you break up with Morelli only to go traipsing right back to him?"

"Every time," I said with a shrug. "But I don't see what that's got to do with …" I started to say as I sank back into my chair.

"Grrrrrr! Of course you don't." She snorted as she grabbed the coffee pot. "Didn't you just tell me that the deal he made with Morelli was his freedom in exchange for you?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, not knowing where Lou was headed.

"So why you? I mean, why not Joe's truck or his house or even have him work off the debt somehow? Of all the things Ranger could have asked for, why was it _you_?"

I opened my mouth to answer her and realized that I didn't have one … an answer, that is.

Lou reached out and put her hands over mine. "Sweetie," she said softly. "This wasn't about Joe. This was all about _you_, and you need to figure out why." And with that she poured me another cup of coffee and cut me another hunk of cake. Essential components for a Burg therapy session.

Anyway, Lou's mother was picking up the kids after school on Friday and keeping them for the weekend so we decided that we'd do a day of beauty together … massages, hair, nails, make up, the whole nine yards. If I was gonna surrender my freedom to Ranger, I was going into captivity looking good and hot!

I went home and finished the packing, labeled the boxes, hell, I even cleaned Rex's cage before I finally fell into bed Thursday night. I should have just passed out from sheer exhaustion, but instead, all those 'why' questions Lou brought up kept swirling around in my head.

I laid there for what seemed like hours and just when I finally started to doze off, it dawned on me that this time tomorrow night I'd be sleeping in Ranger's bed. Well, I'd be sleeping unless Ranger had other activities planned. Oh boy! I pulled the covers over my head and tried not to think about what those activities might be.

But sleep wouldn't come so I climbed out of bed and headed for the kitchen. Maybe I couldn't have a girl's night, but I sure as hell could throw myself one hell of a pity party. I pulled the bottle of tequila out of the freezer and took a swig. Then another. And another.

I decided that this was all Ranger's fault. He'd driven me to drink! The booze hit fast and hard and I was blissfully asleep, okay, passed out, in nothing flat. Mission accomplished.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!…

I didn't have to look at the clock to know it was the ass crack of dawn! I mean, hell, it was still dark out! So why was some idiot knocking on my door? I burrowed down under the covers and smooshed a pillow over my head, trying to muffle the noise. I figured if I ignored them, they would just go away, right?

Wrong! The knocking turned into pounding and I added a second pillow and did a mental la-la-la-la to try and drown out the sound. Finally, when my cell phone and door bell started to ring at the same time, I'd had enough. I wrapped my comforter around me, practically fell out of bed, and stumbled to the door. Whoever was on the other side of it had a death wish, and I was about to make that wish come true!

I didn't even bother to look through the peephole, just opened the locks, flung the door open and bellowed, "What?"

The big grin on Lester's face faded, replaced by a look of sheer horror. He took a step back and held up his hand, like he was trying to block the sight of me. "Yikes, Bombshell!" he said cringing away, "I used to daydream about waking up with you. But if this is what you look like in the morning, I'm gonna have to find a new fantasy."

His head snapped forward and he made an 'uff' sound as a hand appeared out of nowhere and smacked him on the back of the head. Another hand appeared from the other side of the doorway and dangled a Dunkin' Donuts bag right in front of my face. "Peace offering," Tank's voice rumbled and his smiling face appeared around the door jamb. I smelled coffee and donuts. Lester didn't know it, but he owed his life to that bag.

I turned on my heel and headed back to my bed but somebody grabbed me by the elbow and swung me into the kitchen, instead. I found myself boosted up onto the counter, both my eyes tightly shut, and a cup of coffee pressed into my hands.

Tank had obliged. Of course, when he did, I seemed to be having coordination issues. I couldn't wrestle the top off the cup and wound up cussing a blue streak at it. Oh come on! I had no sleep, a crashing headache, and tequila breath! What did you expect?

Tank took the cup out of my hands. "Here, gimme that before you scald yourself. Anything happens to you and I'd have to meet Ranger down on the mats at 5am." I think I grunted in reply. I guess Ranger didn't want his new toy, me, damaged before he had a chance to play with it. Tank wrapped both my hands around the cup and guided it to my mouth. Heaven!

Tank took another coffee out of the bag and leaned against the counter next to me, and the two of us sipped away in silence. I rested my head against his arm, eyes closed, waiting for the caffeine to kick in. When it finally did and I could pry my eyes open, I found Hector, Junior and Lester lounging in the living room watching a replay of some World Cup Soccer game on one of the cable channels.

"Look at the form on that guy!" Hector said in awe, leaning toward the TV.

"You're talking about his ass, aren't you?" Junior snarked.

"What? You think because I'm gay I can't appreciate his talent?" Hector shot back, never taking his eyes off the screen.

Junior snorted. "I think your definition of talent and mine are two different things."

"Ahhh! You're just jealous 'cause Hector never made a pass at you!" Lester chuckled.

"Yeah, you can't hold a candle to Beckham!" Hector dramatically put his hand over his heart and sighed. He wasn't talking about Victoria, either.

"At least I don't have to stuff socks in my jocks," Junior retorted. "Hell! This ain't even a sport. Just a bunch of weenie guys running around playing in the mud!"

"Oh, right!" Sarcasm dripped off Hector's words. "Not like manly American football players who wear helmets and padding and all kinds of protective gear so they won't get owwies."

"Well shit! If girls can play it, it ain't a sport!" Junior sulked.

"Ohhhhhhhh! Male chauvinist pig here!" Lester chortled. "Don't let Steph hear you say that. She'll kick your ass!"

"Hey!" I yelled at Junior. "My nieces play soccer and _they_ can kick your ass!" Junior did an eye roll worthy of a Jersey Girl, but he shut up.

Hector gave me a wink and blew me a kiss. Junior and Lester turned to look at me and a shit eating grin crossed Lester's face as his eyes slid down to my chest. Junior just stared at me and his jaw dropped.

Tank glanced down at me and turned to glare at the two of them, barking, "Eyes right!" They both dragged their eyes back to the TV.

"Huh? What was that all about?" I asked him. He held up a finger in a 'wait' gesture and headed into my bedroom. He came back a few seconds later and held out my robe to me.

"You aren't exactly dressed for company, Bomber," he said, looking me straight in the eye. "You might give _somebody _the wrong idea." He jerked his head toward the living room.

I looked down and realized that the blanket I'd been wrapped in had slid to the floor. I was sitting on the counter wearing a thong and a pretty much see-through tank top. Cripes! "Well, that's what you get for showing up in the middle of the night!" I groused, my face flaming as I grabbed the robe and slipped it on. "At least _you_ seem to be immune to my 'charms'!" I tied the belt and double knotted it.

He grinned back at me. "You know I only have eyes for Lula, Bomber. Plus, I'm a lot smarter than those two are. I know how much damage Ranger could do to me if I put the moves on you. And that's nothing compared to what Lula would do!" The big man shuddered and I snorted.

"As for those two," he looked at Lester and Junior, "I have orders from Ranger. I'd really hate to have to kill either one of them if they laid a hand on you." Tank shook his head. "Their entertainment value alone makes it worth putting up with their crap. After all, we haven't had you around for a long time."

My head snapped around and I glared at him. "Excuse me?" I growled. "Are you saying I was only there to provide laughs?" I was in no mood for humor.

His smile vanished and he held up a big hand. "No, no, no! Absolutely not, Bomber. You know that research is crucial in our business. With all your connections and that 'spidey-sense' of yours, you're better than anybody else who's ever sat in that cubby. The fact that you made us laugh was just an additional perk that we'll be forever grateful for. We're all real happy that you're coming back!" Who knew that somebody as big as Tank could back peddle that fast?

He put a big paw on my shoulder, which I promptly shrugged off. "Yeah, well, you guys called it the dunce desk for a reason. So what did that make me … the biggest dunce?" I snarked at him. "I guess I was lucky you didn't make me wear one of those big, stupid, pointy dunce caps! That would have been a real howl for all of you!" I practically spat.

"Bomber, you know that we all love you. We'd never laugh at you, we laugh with…" He was trying to placate me.

"Oh that's bullshit and you know it! You guys bet on me just like the cops do!" I cut him off. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?" I groused. "You just feel the pressing need to torment me? Or did you just need a laugh?" Oh man, I was on a roll.

"Now, now," Tank cajoled, "Ranger sent us over to make sure that you didn't …"

"That I didn't what?" I snarled. "Didn't rabbit? Send myself off to some third world country? Join a convent and take a vow of chastity? Huh? What?" I was so mad I could feel tears of anger sting my eyes. "I gave him my word." I poked Tank in the chest. "Isn't that good enough for him?" Another poke. "You can go back and tell that sorry son of a bitch that I'm …"

"Not a morning person?" he muttered, only halfway under his breath. "He already knows that." The big man dropped his chin to his chest and heaved a huge sigh. "I have no idea what you're ranting about, Bomber, but I think you need an attitude adjustment!" Reaching into the Dunkin' Donuts bag, he pulled out a Boston Crème, held it out to me, and ordered, "Here, take a bite!"

Attitude adjustment, my ass! I clamped my lips shut, narrowed my eyes, and just glared at him. He was _not _the boss of me! He was NOT gonna make me eat that donut!

But Tank didn't give up that easily. He held the donut in front of my face, "Look at the donut, Stephanie," his voice a soothing monotone like a hypnotist's. "See how glossy the icing is? How fat and fluffy the donut is, filled to bursting with vanilla cream? Doesn't just looking at it make you feel happy? Watch the donut, Stephanie … let your body relax. Concentrate on the donut…" He moved it left and right. I couldn't help myself, my eyes followed it.

"Follow the donut, Stephanie. It makes your mouth water, doesn't it? Smell the chocolate … Ummmm," My eyes drifted shut and I followed the scent of the treat as he waved it slowly under my nose. "Think of how it will feel in your mouth. Chocolate melting on your tongue, vanilla on your lips, sugar coursing through your veins… Holy Crap!!" he yelped as I lunged at the donut and took a huge bite, barely missing his fingers.

"What? You told me to take a bite and I did!" I mumbled around the mouthful of Boston Crème. Tank shoved the rest of the donut at me and inspected his hand for missing digits. I smiled to myself, that'll teach him to mess with me before I've had my caffeine fix!

Another coffee, three donuts, and a shower later, I felt almost human. Almost. It turned out that Hector and Junior were there to remove all the security cameras and code pads that Ranger had installed for my protection. They finished up with that pretty quick and Hector gave me a hug and a kiss on his way out. Junior just gave me a leer.

Lester was supposed to oversee the movers, and since they hadn't shown up yet, he dozed on the couch. Tank was there to move Rex and my stuff to RangeMan. I had to wonder how much they knew about my moving in with Ranger. That question got answered when the Man of Mystery, himself, pulled into the parking lot just as I was loading a box into Tank's Hummer.

Ranger angled out of the Porsche and strolled over to me, pushing his mirrored sunglasses up on top of his head. "You shouldn't be out here without a coat," he commented, unzipping his leather jacket and putting it around my shoulders.

"Thanks, but I've been running in and out so I haven't had a chance to get cold." Still, I pulled the coat around me. It was warm from his body heat and smelled terrific.

"I need to talk to you," he said and led me over to the Porsche. He leaned back against it and assumed the standard RangeMan position, arms and ankles crossed.

"Okay," I replied. "Shoot." I leaned back against the car parked next to his and crossed my arms and ankles, too. The corners of his mouth tipped up like he was thinking about smiling.

"Right now, no one at RangeMan knows that you're moving onto the seventh floor. They think you're going to one of the apartments on four because your lease here is up. You've worked for me before doing computer searches and they'll assume that's where I'll put you again."

"All right, so …?"

"Every man in my organization knows you and understands that you're my personal property, so they're not going to talk freely when you're around, but they _are _going to talk. They'll assume that I gave you the job to have you close to me, and you moved in because we're a couple."

"Personal property?"

"Babe, you're the only one who would question it."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I am _not _personal property. A car is personal property. A shirt is personal property. A human being is not personal property."

"In my building, we share cars and shirts. We don't share women. In my building, you're my personal property. Deal with it."

I blew out a deep breath through my nose. "And you're telling me all this because you just wanted to piss me off?" What was with all the guys today?

This time he did smile. "No. But it's no one's business why you're working for RangeMan or why we're living together."

"So you're telling me that I shouldn't mention the Deal?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

He gave me a single nod. I could tell there was something else, though. "And …?"

"And I'm telling you that I don't share. While you're living with me, I'd prefer that you didn't either."

I think my jaw hit the parking lot. He knew damned good and well that I didn't sleep around. "Oh gee! There you go, ruining all my fun!" I snarked. "And here I'd been planning to screw all the Merry Men in alphabetical order!" I spat, the sarcasm practically dripped off my words. I took his jacket off my shoulders and slung it at him, turned and stamped toward the building.

I didn't get two steps before he took my arm and swung me around to face him. "I'm not talking about my men and you know it." His voice was tight, the blank face firmly in place.

"Then what the hel…" And then it hit me. "Morelli?" I gaped at him. "You're outta your … You think that I … after everyth … that I'd …?" I was so shocked that I couldn't even get the words out of my mouth. "You … you …" I couldn't think of anything bad enough to call him so I balled up my fist and swung at him instead.

Ranger ducked and caught my fist in his hand. Using my own forward momentum, he pulled me flush against his chest and then spun us around, bending me back over the roof of the Porsche. He pinned my hands over my head, holding me there with his weight.

"I just needed to clear that up," he said softly.

He watched me as I struggled to get away, then lowered his head to kiss me. I thrashed back and forth, determined I wasn't going to make it easy for him. He caught my mouth with his anyway, and I realized that all my squirming was just turning him on. Bastard!

I forced myself to relax and he loosened his grip on me, letting my hands go. I was in no mood for his games and I tried to push him off me. Of course he didn't budge, so I fisted my hands in his hair and pulled with all my might. I knew it had to hurt but he didn't even flinch.

Angling his head to deepen the kiss, he gave me the perfect opportunity and I bite his lip so hard I drew blood. He hissed in a breath before I let go, blood on his mouth.

He stepped back and ran his tongue over the bite mark, then grinned at me. "You know I love it when you play rough!" Quick as a snake, he wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and hauled me against him for another kiss, then ran his thumb over the corner of my mouth, wiping off a smudge of blood.

By the time he let me go, I was hopping mad. I stood there, clenching and unclenching my fists, ready to pop him one, and the rat thought it was funny.

"I'll pick you up at seven," he chuckled as he folded himself into the Porsche. Ranger turned the engine over and slid a glance my way. "I usually spar with Tank. Maybe next time I should get in the ring with you. Could be fun!" He pulled out of the lot, smiling the whole way.

_Just wait, you__ louse! I'm gonna make your life hell! _I thought as I watched him drive away. Somehow or another, it made me feel a whole lot better.

I stomped back into my apartment just as Tank was closing his phone. He was standing by the window that looked down on the parking lot and he turned, giving me a long, thoughtful look. I was betting Ranger had just told him to take my stuff up to seven, and probably that he'd seen what had happened in the parking lot. I blew out a deep breath and tried to figure out how I was going to explain this move since I couldn't tell him anything about the Deal.

I was busy chewing my lip when he walked past me with Rex's cage wrapped up in a blanket. "Last load," he announced. "Okay Rex, say goodbye to Mommy."

I tapped the side of the cage, but Rex only wiggled his butt in his soup can, he didn't even bother to wave. I looked up at Tank and shrugged. "The joys of parenthood."

"Yeah. Thankless job!" Tank grinned, and then turned serious. "You need me for _anything_, anytime, you call. Understood?"

I couldn't talk around the lump in my throat, so I just nodded and stood up on tippy-toe to kiss him on the cheek. I opened the door for him, and found the moving men in the hall. Since everything I needed for tonight was already at Mary Lou's, I picked up my coat and purse and headed down to the parking lot.

Ranger had said something about phases of his life. I guess that this phase of mine was over for keeps. I looked back at the place I'd called home and thought about all the memories I'd made there and I actually got a little weepy. I blew out a deep breath, turned the key in the ignition, and motored off to start the next phase of my life.

Okay, so hours of being buffed and kneaded, waxed and exfoliated, curled and made up, to say nothing of a spa lunch and a bottomless glass of champagne, can do wonders for a girl's state of mind so I was one happy customer when Lou zipped up the back of my dress that evening.

Mr. Alexander had worked a miracle and my hair was a mass of loose, shiny curls that swept over my shoulders. My skin glowed and the make-up artist had made me look like I belonged in a fashion magazine, all smoky eyes and blood red lips.

I had chosen a black silk halter dress with a deep v-neck, lined with rows of chiffon ruffles that allowed little glimpses of my cleavage, and yes, I have a cleavage. It was classy and sexy and definitely made me feel sophisticated. The inset waist was beaded, giving it a little sparkle and the flirty skirt ended right above my knees. I paired it with red satin strappy heels and a tiny matching clutch.

Standing back, I took a look at myself in the floor length mirror and declared myself hot, even if I did say so myself. Lenny watched me come down the stairs and gave me a long, drawn out, wolf whistle. I twirled to give him the full effect. "Ranger's a lucky man!"

Ranger picked me up at seven on the dot, no surprise there. We chatted with Lenny and Lou for a few minutes, then he helped me on with my coat and handed me into the Mercedes. We grabbed a quick dinner at Rossini's and I noticeed how many people watched us while we were there. My mother's phone would be ringing off the hook. In a good way!

"You look beautiful tonight, Babe," Ranger said softly as we pulled out of the parking lot. "Stunning, in fact."

Ranger didn't usually give those kinds of compliments, so I was a little surprised. "Well, I guess I do clean up pretty good," I replied, embarrassed.

"And thank you for coming to this thing with me. I hate these kind of business functions. All the small talk and schmoozing."

"Oh, you're welcome." I said kind of lamely. Speaking of small talk, we were driving and Ranger wasn't in his zone. How weird was that?

"What's the purpose of tonight's little soiree?"

"There's a group in the tri-state area trying to get the states to mandate minimum standards for security specialists. Right now, any yahoo with a gun permit can call himself a security specialist. The trouble is, when they screw up, that makes the professionals look bad too."

"So these are all security people and politicos?" That sounded thrilling and I resisted the urge to yawn.

Ranger flashed the full on smile. "Oh, they're gonna _love_ the Bombshell Bounty Hunter!"

"You wouldn't dare!" I gasped as we pulled up in front of one of the big fancy hotels. He never answered me, just grinned at me and got out of the car.

A valet helped me out onto the sidewalk, and Ranger offered me his arm. Inside our coats were whisked away and champagne glasses materialized in our hands. An orchestra played, endless streams of hors d'oeuvres were passed by white gloved waiters, and we chatted our way through at least a hundred people while photographers snapped away.

Jeanne Ellen was there, wearing a skin tight, strapless leather dress that would have made Angelina Jolie weep. She was on the arm of a Rambo look alike, right down to the sneer. Totally ignoring me, she sidled over to Ranger and practically rubbed up against him like a cat in heat. Even though he reached out and pulled me to his side, I was hit by a stab of jealousy so sharp I felt like I'd been slapped. Jeez! Where the hell did _that_ come from?

Later, I excused myself and found the ladies' room, sinking down on a bench in front of one of the little make up mirrors that dotted the room. I admit it, my feet were killing me.

"Are you all right, Stephanie?" Cat Woman asked as she slid onto the bench next to me.

Great! Just what I needed! "Oh sure. The champagne just went to my head. I haven't really eaten today." I gave her a polite smile.

"You and Ranger make a handsome couple." I started to thank her when she continued. "Of course, standing next to Ranger, you sort of fade into the woodwork. Maybe you should dye you hair or something."

"Is that why you're a blonde?" I shot back. "Oh that's right! You're not the one standing next to Ranger, now are you?" I gave her my version of the 200 watt smile and a little shrug. Jersey Girl here.

She leaned into the mirror to fix her lipstick and snorted. "None of his women last very long. He'll wine and dine you, screw your brains out and then, six weeks tops, he'll tell you his life doesn't lend itself to relationships and he'll be gone so fast your head will spin. But it's fun while it lasts." She gave me a smug smile and left, leaving me sitting there with little black dots swimming in front of my eyes and her words, Ranger's words, echoing in my head.

I don't know how long I sat there trying to come up with some reasonable explanation for how she'd know Ranger used that particular line on me. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind so I had to figure he'd used it on her too. Just friggin' swell! I went back to the party and wandered through the crowd, looking for Ranger.

I was being led onto the dance floor by a military type who wouldn't take no for an answer and who thought that my eyes were located between my nipples, when Ranger snagged my hand and twirled me away through the sea of dancing couples.

"Where did you disappear to?" he asked.

"Ladies' room." I didn't feel the need to explain.

He looked at me, a crease in his brow. "Are you all right?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem different. Your mood has changed."

"Had a chat with your pal, Jeanne Ellen."

Now it was his turn for a mood change. "She's not a nice person, Steph. She enjoys hurting people. Not someone you want to let close to you."

"Really? You let her get close to you … intimately close, I'd say," I quipped with all the innocence I could muster. You could practically hear the clang as his blank face fell into place.

The music stopped and we just stood there, looking at each other. "Are you ready to get out of here?"

"You have no idea," I muttered and headed for the door.

Back in the car Ranger slipped into his driving zone and we were silent for the return trip. He opened my door when we got back to RangeMan, in fact he'd been the perfect gentleman all night. On seven he unlocked the penthouse door and stepped aside so I could enter first. He took our coats and laid them over the back of one of the chairs in the living room, took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie.

I just stood there feeling awkward and not knowing what to do with myself. I guess it was obvious that I really didn't want to be here, at least not like this. Ranger picked up a remote and soft, bluesy music filled the room. "Will you dance with me?"

"If you want. Just let me get rid of these shoes first, okay?" I sat on the ottoman to unbuckle them, but Ranger bent down.

"Let me," his eyes were on mine, his voice deep and husky. I leaned back on my hands and watched him as he took off first one shoe and then the other, gently massaging my arches. It felt so good I think I purred.

If it had been summer, I would have been bare legged, but it was cold out and I was wearing hose. His eyes never leaving mine, Ranger ran his hands up my leg from my foot, up over my ankle and calf and knee to tease the lacy edge of the thigh high I was wearing.

Slipping his fingers under the lace, he slowly pulled the stocking down my leg and slid it off my foot. It was the most erotic thing I'd ever experienced. By the time he'd removed my other stocking, every nerve in my body was humming.

He stood, and taking my hand in his, pulled me gently up off the ottoman and into his arms. We moved slowly to the music. He held my hand curled against his chest, his other hand around my waist to hold me tightly against him. I can't tell you how long we danced like that, minutes, hours, days, my hand over his heart, his cheek against my temple. We danced even after the music had stopped.

"Stephanie," he whispered and I looked up at him. He lowered his mouth and hesitated a long, long second before pressing his lips to mine. I sighed into the kiss, falling under the spell of it, parting my lips to invite his tongue to play with mine.

The kiss broke and we stopped moving. "It's time," he said, looking down at me, and suddenly I couldn't meet his eyes. I took a shaky breath and a step back and just nodded.

It was only then that I realized he had danced us into the darkened bedroom and a thrill of fear, anticipation, _something_ I couldn't name, shot through me. I guess there wasn't any question what he wanted.

He slowly lowered the zipper and untied the halter of my dress, letting his hands glide over my bare back from my neck down below my waist to the edge of the black lace panties I was wearing. I had to put my hand on my chest to keep the top of the dress from falling and exposing me. I couldn't be that naked in front of him while he was still fully dressed. It would make me feel cheap.

"I'll give you your privacy," he tipped his head toward the bathroom and I nodded again without looking at him.

I fled into the bathroom and had the door almost shut when he said my name. "Stephanie, I'll leave something on the dresser. I'd like you to wear it tonight." I didn't say anything, just closed the door and leaned my head against it. All I could think of was that I had sold myself into sexual slavery, and it was humiliating.

I spent as much time in the bathroom as I possibly could. I pinned up my hair, took a shower, removed my makeup, brushed my teeth. Other than washing the floor, there was nothing left for me to do. My robe wasn't in here, so I wrapped myself in a bath towel, flipped off the light, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the bedroom.

The only light was from a small lamp on the dresser, so dim it was almost like a night light. I stood there for a couple of seconds, then crossed the room to see what Ranger had left for me to wear. A black silk nightgown with lace inserts lay on the polished wood. It was beautiful, delicate, and unlike anything I'd every worn before. I dropped the towel and slipped the gown over my head. The silk whispered down my body like a lover's caress.

I turned to my reflection in the mirror hoping my Inner Jersey Girl would make an appearance. She'd know how to handle this situation. But all I saw was regular old me. My eyes were wide, the black lace making my already pale skin so much paler, and I looked ... I don't know what I looked … scared? Sad? Resigned? All of the above?

I lifted my hands to take the pins out of my hair, and caught something move in the shadows in the far corner of the room. Ranger. He was sitting in the dark, watching me. My breath caught in my throat as our eyes locked. I watched him in the mirror as he slowly pushed up out of the chair and moved toward me.

He was barefoot, his white shirt, open to the waist, sleeves rolled up over his forearms, gleaming against his caramel skin. His eyes black and hooded, pinned me. He moved like a cat, beautiful, silent, deadly, and I fought the urge to run. He stopped so close that his chest skimmed my back, I could feel his heat, his heartbeat, and exactly how much he wanted me.

One by one he took the pins out of my hair until it hung loose and the pins were scattered on the floor. Again and again he ran his fingers through my hair, letting the soft curls fall against my shoulders.

He reached around me for a small crystal bottle that sat on the dresser. Lifting the top, the scent of Dolce Vita filled the air. With one hand, Ranger swept my hair over my shoulder and tipped my head.

He stroked the perfume down the side of my neck with the long glass dauber, then bent down to blow his hot breath gently on the spot, drying it. My eyes drifted shut at the sensations, my nipples pebbled almost painfully and my heart stuttered in my chest.

Ranger ran the perfume dauber down the other side of my neck and my knees almost gave out. I had to grip the edge of the dresser to keep from falling. Finally he dipped the stopper back into the bottle and placed the tip of the dauber at the hollow of my throat. We both watched the single drop of perfume slip down my chest and disappear between my breasts.

Our eyes met in the mirror again. He wrapped his arms around my waist and bent to nuzzle my hair, kiss my temple and the side of my face, my ear, lower to lay a trail of hot, wet, kisses over my shoulder. He rested his hand on my throat, his fingers on my cheek, turning my head until our lips met, barely touching at first, brushing back and forth, then fusing together, hot and hungry.

His hands moved over the silk and lace I wore. His fingers slipped under the delicate braided silk of the nightgown's tiny little straps, pushing them off my shoulders. He ran his fingertips back and forth across my bare skin, over the swell of my breasts, my neck and throat, fisting into my hair.

His other hand caressed my body, from my ribs down over my belly to my hip bones, back again. I was aching for him to touch me in other, more intimate, places. I had come here not wanting this, and now I didn't want anything else _but _this. My brain shut down but my body was screaming for release.

I could feel his heavy thick length pulse against my butt and I reached behind me to touch him. He caught my hand and lifted my arm, placing it around his neck instead. I couldn't help but look at our reflections, both of us panting, eyes filled with raw lust and desire.

I turned in his arms and slipped my hands inside his shirt to touch his chest, all satin skin over rock hard muscle. My hands flew over his abs, my nails scraping his nipples. I couldn't get enough of him. The groan that rumbled deep in his chest sounded like he was in pain.

I wanted to wrap my legs around him, rub myself against him, but the slim nightgown hampered my movements and I made a frustrated sound. I let my mouth drift over the bare skin of his chest, licking, sucking, biting.

With a growl he fisted his hands in my hair and pulled my head back, taking my mouth in a brutal kiss, wild and wanton. He swept me up into his arms and carried me across the room. Placing a knee on the edge of the mattress, he lowered me to the middle of the big bed, then followed me down, covering me, his delicious weight on top of me.

We kissed, over and over, slowly, deeply, until we were both gasping for breath. He raised himself on his forearms, his forehead resting on my shoulder. He took a deep breath and blew it our slowly, trying to gain control. "I'll be back in a minute," he murmured and lifting off me, he stood and turned to go into the bathroom.

I wasn't capable of rational thought, all I could do was want. I wanted to tear off the nightgown, wanted his hands and mouth on me, wanted him in me, wanted a Doomsday Orgasm. I just lay there with my eyes closed. I smiled a few minutes later when I heard the bathroom doorknob turn. I opened my eyes and blinked at the bright light that flooded the bedroom.

Ranger stood next to the bed dressed in black work out clothes, his shoes and socks in his hands. My mouth dropped open and I pushed myself up on my elbows.

He leaned over the bed and gave me a brief kiss on the mouth. "I'll be down in the gym for the next couple of hours, at least," he said with a rueful smile. "Then I'll be in 4B for the rest of the night. Call Ella if you need anything." He turned and walked toward the door.

I shot up off the bed. "Wait! What?" I followed him to the door.

He turned back to face me. "I said…"

"No. I heard what you _said_. But what did you mean? You aren't sleeping here?" Obviously my brain wasn't functioning at optimum capacity yet.

Ranger arched an eyebrow at me. "I said I wanted you to sleep in my bed, Stephanie. I never said I'd be in it with you."

"Huh?" I was dumbfounded. "Then what was this all about?" I plucked at the nightgown.

He smiled and chucked me under the chin. "You're a smart girl. You figure it out. I'll see you at breakfast. Sleep well."

I followed him out to the living room and watched as he went out the apartment door. I swear to God he was laughing.

Son of a bitch!

TBC …

A/N: Well, that's an interesting turn of events! What's Ranger up to? Let me know what you think. And what should Stephanie do? What do you think the MM would do if they found out that Steph was moving in with Ranger to pay off the Deal? Nothing? Anything? Tell me your thoughts …

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I can't tell you how much that means to me …


	26. LMNHTSYS!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

"**Love means never having to say you're sorry."**

**Oliver Barrett IV -Love Story **

**"Bullshit!"**

**Anonymous Women Everywhere.**

_**Chapter 26:**__** Love Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry!**_

Okay, to say that I was stunned was an understatement. Probably dazed and confused was more like it. I couldn't help but think that maybe I was dreaming or having an out of body experience or something. Whatever it was, it was just bizarre and surreal and I didn't like it one little bit, but I had no idea how to stop it, either!

Pretty much I was just stupefied when I padded after Ranger, out of the bedroom, through the living room, down the hall and into the foyer. I must have looked like an abandoned puppy, standing there, watching him go out the front door.

It finally dawned on me that Ranger was actually going to leave. I mean, what the hell happened? I thought he wanted sex! I know I sure did! I was definitely having a tough time wrapping my head around the whole situation. And if my _head _was having a hard time, the rest of my _body_ was like, 'What the fuck?!' Actually, the rest of my body was screaming, 'What, NO fuck?'

Looking back on that night, I guess I should have tackled him to the floor, pummeled him into submission, and ridden him like Zorro! Shoulda, woulda, coulda … the story of my life.

Anyway, I was doing the goldfish thing when he walked out the door and called, "Night, Babe!" I could hear the smile in his voice and he sounded really pleased with himself, but I didn't have a clue what he was so happy about. I was the poster child for every word that meant baffled, dumbfounded or gobsmacked.

So I just stood there with my mouth hung open like a big dummy, staring after him. I knew I should say something, but my brain couldn't pull itself out of that lust fogged stupor long enough to cooperate. As a result, all that came out of my mouth was a whiney, "But … why?"

Ranger glanced up at me as he pulled the door shut and our eyes locked. The smile he'd been wearing slid right off his face and he just stopped, half in, half out of the apartment. He stared at me for the longest time, like he had some kind of inner debate going on. I didn't know what he was seeing when he looked at me, but whatever it was, it made him change his mind about leaving.

Okay, so probably Ranger knew exactly what was going on in my head. I can guarantee that I was wearing my emotions all over my face just like I wore my mascara and lipstick. I guess it was one of the reasons Ranger always seemed to know what I was thinking and feeling almost before _I_ did. Well, that and my big, fat mouth, of course. No Woman of Mystery with deep, dark secrets here, that's for sure.

But come on! It's not like I did it on purpose. I was just never able to develop a 'neutral' face that didn't give away what was going on inside me. That hit home the very first time I ever played strip poker. I lost my shirt … and my pants and my socks … and well, you get the idea.

I've tried real hard to master that damned blank face that Ranger and the Merry Men could slap on like a mask whenever they needed it. But this is me we're talking about, and we all know that no matter how much I lecture myself, I always act first and think later.

Anyway, Ranger dropped his chin to his chest and he muttered a curse before he came back into the foyer, closing the door behind him. He hesitated for a second or two, then came over to me and cupped my face in his hands. I didn't realize it, but I guess a couple of tears had leaked out. Frustration does that to me, dammit, and I don't think I'd ever been more frustrated in my whole entire life.

Ranger wiped off my cheeks with his thumbs. "I didn't count on you getting upset." He sounded as close to remorseful as I'd ever heard him. "I just thought you'd get furious and rip me a new one."

I looked at him for a couple of really long seconds while my brain tried to process what he'd just said. "You … you _wanted _me to get _angry_?"

If I'd been confused before, now I was totally lost. This was the guy who knew how to push my buttons, who could make me go from zero to rhino mode in .002 seconds and _this _was how he chose to piss me off? To get me panting for him, _aching_ for him, and then get up and walk out? Huh?

I shook my head, trying to clear it. "You're gonna have to explain this to me, 'cause I'm just not getting it."

Ranger blew out a breath that puffed out his cheeks, "Yeah, I shoulda figured!" Grabbing my hand, he strode into the living room, with me trotting after him, and sat me in the corner of the couch. I curled my feet up under me while he braced a hand on the arm and reached over me to turn on a lamp.

We were so close that when I tipped my head back, our lips almost touched. Ranger froze and I heard his breath hitch. He pulled back and sank down on the couch next to me, mirroring my position, leaning sideways against the back of the couch.

"Look, I know you don't understand what's going on," he said, sounding a little exasperated, as he reached out and laid his hand over mine. "I'm not so sure I do either. This isn't the way I wanted things to go."

He hooked a finger under the delicate strap on the nightgown that had slipped down my arm, and lifted it back into place. His eyes darkened as he let his fingers drift over my shoulder, across my collar bone and up the side of my neck to rest his palm on my cheek. Very gently, he stroked his thumb over my bottom lip, making me shiver. My tongue slid out to wet my lips, touching the tip of his finger, and I swear he shivered, too.

His eyes focused on my mouth. "I told you that you were my temptation, Stephanie," he said, his voice low and rough as he moved closer. "You're my weakness." And closer. "You sit here, looking all soft and vulnerable with those big blue eyes and that crybaby mouth …" His head bent toward mine, his lips a heartbeat away.

His hands clutched my shoulders and he pulled me closer. I could feel his breath on my face, his fingers curling into my skin. "You make me just want to take you and …"

"Oh YES! Take me!" My Hungarian hormones were on their feet, screaming! I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and twined my fingers into his hair, let my eyes drift shut and my lips part. I waited breathlessly for his mouth to meet mine… we could pick up right where we left off and I'd get that Ranger induced orgasm after all! Woo-hoo!

But no. He stiffened, and not in a good way. The moment was gone. He shoved me away and jumped up off the couch, taking a step back like he needed to put some distance between us. He scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair, muttering something to himself that sounded like, "Almighty God … she's driving me nuts!" What the hell did _I _do?

My eyes flew open and all I could do was sit there and gape at him like he was … crazy, that is. His head was tipped back and he was muttering and gesturing up at the ceiling. He started to pace around the room, hands on hips, still talking to himself. He didn't look at me, just spun around and stalked off down the hall, mumbling and shaking his head, leaving me panting and aching … again!

I was gonna have to kill him. The man just couldn't make up his mind! I hopped up and stomped after him, thinking that maybe he was gonna bail on me after all. If he tried to escape, I was gonna get my gun out of my cookie jar, which resided on his kitchen counter, and shoot the son of a bitch in the foot. Or maybe the ass … yeah, the ass. I really liked the idea of him having to carry around one of those little rubber donut thingys to sit on. He was _not_ leaving this apartment until he told me what the hell was going on!

But he didn't open the apartment door; he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge instead. I peeked through the doorway and watched him take out a bottle of Corona. Oh goody, I had driven him to drink!

He started to open the bottle, then seemed to think better of it and just slumped against the counter, holding the bottle to the back of his neck. Gee! Looked to me like he had a tension headache. Somehow I had a hard time working up any sympathy for him.

When he finally straightened up and put the bottle back in the fridge, I hustled back into the living room, took up my position on the couch, and put on my wide-eyed, innocent look. Ranger strode into the room and stopped in front of me, hands on hips. I thought he was going to sit down again, but instead, a groan that sounded a lot like pain rumbled deep in his chest. He grabbed the cashmere throw off the back of the couch and proceeded to wrap me up like a mummy.

"Uh, no thanks," I said, struggling to free myself from the blanket. "I really don't need this. I'm fine."

"Yeah, well _I'm_ not," he groused. "You're killing me here. What's the matter with you? You're showing way too much skin. You need to cover up!" He groused, swaddling me in the afghan again.

Wait! What's the matter with _me_? Wasn't he the reason I was half naked in the first place? Wasn't this see-through nightgown his idea? He was the one who picked out and asked me to wear it. And now _he _had a problem with it, so this was somehow my fault? The thought of ripping Ranger a new one was sounding better and better by the second. He wanted to make me mad? He got his wish!

He paced for a minute or two, then sat on the big leather ottoman that served as a coffee table, facing me. "This evening did not go at all the way I thought it would." He blew out a long breath through his nose. "I suppose I need to explain." he announced, clearly not happy about it.

"You can try," I practically snarled, rearranging the blanket around me so it was more like a shawl than a burka.

He opened his mouth, then closed it and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, head down. He looked like he was trying to choose his words very carefully, probably trying to figure out how to cover his own ass. Anything to avoid an apology. Men!

Finally, he sat up straight, took a breath, and dove right in. "Look, we both know that if I tried, I could convince you to do almost anything I wanted, whether or not _you_ wanted to do it, yes?" It was really a statement of fact rather than a question.

I opened my mouth to argue with him, but we both knew it was true, so I didn't bother. Hell, we'd even talked about it a couple of times. I looked away from him, feeling defensive for some reason. "Yeah, so?"

"_So_ … I gave you my word that I'd never do that, didn't I?" It sounded like he was accusing me of something.

I rolled my eyes and snorted. "What? You think that just because you utter the words, I'll hang on them like they came from God's lips!" I said archly.

The expression on his face said, 'Of course.' The ass.

Ohhhh crap, the light bulb went on over my head. I was pretty sure I knew where he was headed with this. Just you wait and see; this was gonna turn out to be all my fault, too.

It was my turn to blow out a sigh. I looked away from him and just shrugged a shoulder. "Okay, I guess." I sounded like a snotty thirteen year old.

"You _guess_?" he repeated, eyebrows raised. "Which part of 'I give you my word I'll never make you to do anything you don't want to do,' did you not understand?"

"Oh, don't you dare use that tone of voice with me, buster!" I shot back, my confusion and patience all gone. "The problem wasn't with understanding what you said." I held my chin up defiantly. "The problem was with _believing_ what you said!" I folded my arms over my blanket covered chest and gave him a 'Take that!' glare.

He sat up straight and narrowed his eyes. "And why, exactly, would you NOT believe me?"

"Gee!" I said as sarcastically as I could. "Ya think it could be because you talk out of both sides of your mouth! Which side do you want me to believe?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Looked like it was his turn to be confused.

I took a deep, calming breath. "You've always made it perfectly clear that all you ever wanted was sex… all the trips to the alley, all the kisses, all the games of pat and tickle, all the innuendo,_ the de Chooch deal_ … I got that message loud and clear."

I saw his blank face fall into place and I plowed right on. "And you made sure I knew exactly what you _didn't_ want too … no relationship, no marriage, no kids, no ring, no price, no strings." I ticked them off on my fingers.

"Hell, Ranger. You even gave me constant reminders not to trust you … don't give information to the _enemy_, Stephanie. Don't always expect me to be this _civilized_, Stephanie. There are _things you don't know_ about me, Stephanie. And now you're surprised I don't trust you? You told me yourself … you're an _opportunist_!"

The man actually had the nerve to look surprised! "Stephanie, I've _always_ been an opportunist … that's nothing new!"

I gave him a pissy face. "So … what? You're a _trustworthy_ opportunist?"

"Where _you're_ concerned! I've never lied to you or taken advantage of you, have I?" He sounded almost insulted.

"Well," I shrugged a shoulder. "Not that I know of!" I admitted. "But that sure as hell doesn't make you a Boy Scout!"

"Stephanie, I've never pretended to be anything other than what and who I am. Now, suddenly, you think I haven't been honest with you." He got up and walked over to the window. "I'm hurt."

"Whoa," I said. "That's an emotion."

"You think I don't have emotions?"

"I don't think you very often get hurt."

"It takes a lot," Ranger said, never taking his eyes off my face. "It would seem that only a few, select people have that ability."

"Ranger, has it occurred to you that _you _might be giving information to the enemy?" I asked, surprised by the crack in his armor. "And if you're waiting for me to apologize, don't hold your breath!" I snorted. "It's still all your own fault." Woot! You have no idea how good it felt to say that to him!

"My fault?" he said, as if he couldn't grasp the concept. "You're the one who walked in here tonight convinced that I was the Big, Bad Wolf and was going to force you into bed, take advantage of you …" He started pacing again. "Even _after_ I gave you my word!" he said, like that was supposed to make me feel bad.

I gave a derisive snort and was up off the couch stalking toward him. "Hellooo! You were the one with the sleazy Casanova routine, with your hands up under my skirt, sliding off my stockings…" I sniped at him and gave him a poke in the chest. "And then there was the, 'It's time, Stephanie.' I dropped my voice and did a pretty fair imitation of him. I threw my hands up in the air and I gave him my best Burg death glare. "What the hell was I supposed to think?"

"You were supposed to think that I wanted you!" He snapped back at me.

I gasped! My jaw dropped and my eyes bugged out of my head. "You mean … you didn't? You _faked_ it?" I gaped at him, as shocked as if he'd just confessed he'd had a sex change operation or was Michael Jackson's love child.

"Steph, that's not what…" he started to say.

I cut him off. "Well, you sure had me fooled! Oh, you need to take your act on the road!" I snarled. "Hell!" I pointed down at his crotch. "You've even got that thing trained to sit up and beg on command!" I'd have a bruise on my butt where he'd been pressed into me before, and now he was telling me he _faked it_! "Las Vegas is looking for a replacement for Siegfried and Roy and their trained animal act! You could make a fortune!"

"Babe …" he tried again.

"Don't you 'Babe' me!" I hollered. "I don't even have words bad enough for you! I am _so_ outta here!" I flung the blanket at his head, spun around, and marched off toward the bedroom, so mad I was shaking.

"You have to lis …" Ranger reached out and tried to snag my arm, but I slapped his hand away and side stepped him.

"Stephanie, it got out of hand." Was that supposed to be an apology? "I let it get out of control. I'd originally planned on being gone before you came out of the bathroom."

I froze in mid-stomp, his words hanging in the air between us. Very slowly, I turned around to face him, my eyebrows somewhere in the neighborhood of my hairline. "_Originally planned_?" I said through clenched teeth and started to move back toward him.

Something flashed across his face. If it had been anybody else but Ranger standing there, I would have said that that something was fear.

"So …" I held up my index finger, "and let me make absolutely sure I have this straight … _you set me up_?" My voice sounded oddly tinny over the rushing noise in my head.

Ranger cleared his throat. "In a manner of speaking, yes. But it's not what you thi…"

"But nothing! You … you _louse_!" I spat at him, not sure if I was stunned or pissed. "What's the matter?" I flapped my arms. "Aren't I amusing enough anymore? Not entertaining enough to deserve that line item in your budget?" I could feel a flush work its way up my face as adrenaline pumped through me. "Maybe I don't humiliate myself enough on my own anymore, so you … what? Decided to engineer a bigger and better show just for shits and giggles?"

Ranger arched an eyebrow in mild annoyance. "Now you're being ridiculous." He said curtly. "That's enough!"

"Oh, not hardly!" The problem was that my mouth had suddenly developed a mind of its own and it obviously had no problem giving a piece of itself to Ranger! Boy, I was on a roll, a downhill roll, and I just kept gathering speed. I don't think I could have shut up if I had wanted to and, God knows, I didn't want to!

I gasped as the thought hit me and got right up in his face. "And you staged the whole scene in the bedroom too? The whole nightgown thing?" My voice amped up a notch and I stabbed a finger at him. "And _you_, sitting there in the dark, watching me like some cheap peep show? And … and that … that bit with the perfume? It was all _an_ _act_?" I raged, my chin jutted out and my fists clinched.

"No!" With lightening speed Ranger reached out, grabbed me by the shoulders, and gave me a little shake. "Stephanie, stop it!" he ordered, all calm and rational. But did I? Hell, no! I raised my clenched fist, ready to clock him but he hauled me against him, clamping his arms around me so tightly that I couldn't even swing at him.

"Let go you big _faker_!" I struggled to get away. I wanted to deck him! Strangle him! Rip his liver out and feed it to stray cats! Pinned the way I was, I had to be satisfied with hauling off and kicking him in the shin. All that did was hurt my bare toes and I whined an, "Owwww!"

Finally he picked me up off the floor and carted me over to the couch and plopped me back down in the corner, right where we'd started. "If you want to hit me, fine, but we'll go a few rounds down in the sparring ring."

I tried to jump up but Ranger braced his hands against the back of the sofa on either side of me, effectively trapping me in place. "Stay put!" The rat really got off on ordering me around. "Please," he added. Damn him! He just had to go and throw that in. I slumped back and rubbed my aching toes.

He waited a few seconds, I guess to make sure I wasn't going to lunge at him, then sat on the ottoman again and held out his hand. "Let me see your foot. That was some kick."

"Don't you touch my toes!" I snarked and turned sideways on the couch, massaging my foot. "That's how this whole mess started!"

Ranger snorted out a laugh, at the irony, I guess. "Yeah, me and my bright ideas," he muttered to himself.

"Glad you think it's so funny!" I sulked.

"No," he said with as close to a sigh as I'd ever heard from him. "There's nothing funny about it. I'm just not used to things backfiring like this. Somehow things never go the way they should when you're involved."

"Excuse me?" I swiveled my head to glare at him.

He held up his hands in a stop gesture. "Poor choice of words," he said quickly. "What I meant is that no matter how carefully I plan or what I think is going to happen, if you're involved, it never does. And I can't figure out why."

"Pffft! That's because you're a control freak."

He arched an eyebrow.

I blew out a sigh. "You think logically. You're used to people reacting in a certain way and you keep trying to apply those rules to me." He gave a nod of agreement. "But I don't sign up for that program." I gave him a small snotty smile. "I don't do the expected. That's why I can surprise you and you find me _amusing_." I curled my lip.

"I find you a lot of things besides amusing."

"Like?"

"Infuriating, frustrating, confounding …."

"That's because you have to be in control all the time." I retorted. "So, have you always been a control freak?" I blurted out. "I mean, does it just come naturally or do you have to work at it?"

He narrowed his eyes at me, I guess waiting to see if I was serious or not. I guess he decided I was serious. "You're either in control," he said, "or being controlled by someone or something else. I've been both. Being in control is better."

Personally, I couldn't imagine Ranger being controlled by anybody … ever. "So you like being in control," I said.

"I'm _accustomed_ to being in control," he said matter of factly. There's a difference."

"You're goal oriented. You've got your life planned out in phases." I added, and eyeroll and mouthed 'control freak', remembering what he'd said when I'd been helping him find the security breach at RangeMan.

"Yes," he nodded. "And control makes it easier to achieve that goal."

"You make it sound like there's a magic formula or something," I sighed.

"No magic, but there is a formula. You approach the situation logically, think it through, determine the desired outcome, devise a course of action, execute the plan, and achieve the goal."

"Have you ever failed?" Ranger may be a goal oriented control freak, but I was an expert on failure.

He barked out a laugh. "Only where you're concerned. Tonight was a spectacular failure." He studied me for a minute. "For what it's worth, Stephanie, I wasn't trying to hurt or humiliate you."

I lifted a shoulder in reply. "You wanted mad," I sniped. "I didn't want to disappoint you!"

"You never disappoint, Babe." He stood up and pulled me to my feet and into his arms. "You may frustrate me, infuriate me, confound me, but you never disappoint me. I love you. It may be in my own way, but it's the only way I know."

There was no doubting the emotion in his voice or the intensity in his eyes. It pretty much took the wind out of my sails and I just didn't want to be mad at him anymore. And I knew he loved me in his own way … he'd told me often enough.

"You are such a bastard," I sighed half-heartedly.

"Yes, I can be," he said with absolutely no shame at all. "But you're missing the point of the whole exercise."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "So what's the point here?"

"The point is that you didn't trust me to keep my word. I was trying to show you that you could."

"Are you telling me this was just a demonstration? You got me into this … this _state_ to prove a point?"

His hands were still at my waist, holding me against him. "How serious is this state?" he asked.

If it was any more serious I'd spontaneously combust. "It's not that serious," I told him.

"Liar."

"How serious is _your state_?"

"Frighteningly serious." Ranger cocked an eyebrow at me and gave me a wolf grin.

"So what are you going to do about it?" I guess I was still hoping. Those eight million Hungarian hormones were wide awake and waiting for the main event.

"I'm going down to the gym to work it off before all my good intentions disappear along with that nightgown and I fuck you blind." Ranger laughed when my mouth dropped open in surprise. Brushing his lips over my forehead, he walked out of the room. "You know," he said from the doorway, "I'm being a good guy right now because it suits my purposes."

"See?" I yelled after him, flapping my arms. "Mixed messages! You're doing it again!" I heard him chuckle as he walked down the hall.

I didn't know if I should scream or laugh. I heard the apartment door snick shut behind him and after a minute, I stamped into the bathroom, hoping a cold shower worked for women as well as it seemed to for men. I needed a clear head. I had some serious revenge to plan.

An hour later I was stretched out in Ranger's big bed, lying on those ten thousand thread count sheets, staring at the ceiling, still chewing over everything he'd said. Okay, I was a big person. I could admit that I'd contributed to all the misunderstandings. I'd never confronted Ranger about what he expected his payoff to be, and worse yet, I just let my imagination run away with me. As far as fault went, I guess we could split it 50-50. That was fair, right? It didn't mean that Ranger wasn't still a complete jackass, though.

I flopped onto my stomach, punched the pillow, straightened out the blankets, but I knew I wasn't gonna be getting any sleep. I got up and roamed around the apartment. I hit the kitchen first and was amazed to find a cabinet stocked with peanut butter and Cheeze Doodles and Tastykakes and worthless white bread. There were two containers of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer, Phish Food and Pistachio Pistachio, and there was a jar of olives and a six pack of Coronas in the fridge.

I grabbed a beer and went into the office, got on line, checked my email, played a couple games of Solitaire, turned on the TV and surfed 642 channels of infomercials and watched the tail end of an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Two bottles of liquid courage and half a bag of Cheese Doodles later, I picked up the phone and called the Control Room. The Burg gossip line had nothing on the RangeMan Grapevine where news traveled faster than a speeding bullet, and I was sure that everybody in the building, hell, in the whole _company_, already knew that I was all moved into the penthouse.

Lester answered the phone with a, 'Yo!"

"Hey Les!" I tried to sound cheerful.

"Hi Bomber. What can I do for ya?"

"Do you know if Ranger got to bed yet?"

I heard him snicker. "Obviously not since you're up in the penthouse and he's down in the gym at two o'clock in the morning working off his frustrations." I swear I could practically see the leer on his face. "Looks like a clear case of blue balls to me!"

"Har-dee-har-har! Real cute, Lester."

"Well, what did you expect?" he chuckled. "You set yourself up."

I heard a, "Gimme that phone!" and a "Hey!" and a small scuffle and an "Ooof!" as somebody grabbed the phone away from Lester.

"Ignore him, Steph," Hal said. "Would you like me to buzz Ranger or give him a message for you?" He talked over the muffled curses and grunts I could hear in the background.

"No thanks, Hal. I'll take care of it. Um, what happened to Lester?"

"Nuh-thin'," he said happily, sounding like a little kid. "But he makes a real good chair," Hal chuckled. "Nice and bouncy." I heard another 'Ooof!' "Get your lard ass off me!" Lester's muffled voice groaned.

"Thanks, Hal." I just had to laugh.

"Okay, night, Steph." Hal might not be the sharpest tack in the box, but he sure was the sweetest, and he still had his phone manners. His mama would be proud.

I threw on a bra and sweat pants to go with the t-shirt and panties I'd changed into after my ice cold shower, grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, and bare footed it down the stairs to the gym. I closed the stairwell door carefully and moved down the hall as quietly as I could, not wanting to alert Ranger that I was there. Not that I was trying to sneak up on him or anything like that, but just in case I chickened out about talking to him.

I stood on my very sore tip-toes and peeked in the small window that was set high in the gym door. One side of the large room was set up with tread mills, stair climbers and all kinds of exercise equipment. The bar bells and free weights were in the middle of the room, and the sparring ring, punching bags and the mats, where Ranger met the Merry Men when they incurred his wrath, were on the other side along with the locker room.

The whole place was mirrored so I had a clear view of Ranger in the far corner of the room working on the big heavy boxing bag. Even from outside the doors I could hear the 'unh, unh, unh' of his breath as he landed each blow and the thud of his gloved hands connecting with the bag.

He was barefoot and shirtless; sweat pants slung low on his narrow hips. I watched the muscles of his hard, disciplined body bunch under his smooth skin, iron under silk, as his fists pounded into the canvas bag again and again. He bared his teeth with each punch and every inch of his exposed skin was covered with a fine sheen of sweat, evidence of how hard he was pushing himself.

My mouth went dry watching him. He was beautiful and dangerous and sexy, all intensity and focus. The two times we'd been together he had focused all that intensity on me. The same hands that were delivering murderous blows to the punching bag had been gentle, talented and sensual, lighting fires wherever they touched my body.

Ranger had been right when he said that together we made magic. Just thinking about it was making me heat up in all the right places. Okay, under the circumstances, they were all the wrong places. The magic was fantastic, but it just wasn't enough.

I was sure he knew I was there even before I slipped through the door. There was no surprise in his eyes when they flicked up and met mine in the mirrored wall. I skirted the mat that he was working on and slid down the mirror to sit on the floor to watch him.

"Couldn't sleep so you came down to torture me?" he asked, breathless but never breaking the rhythm of his punches.

"I figured it would only be fair considering what you pulled on me tonight," I answered.

"At least you changed out of that nightgown," he shot me a quick grin. "It's a killer!"

I wondered if he noticed the light bulb go on over my head. He had just helped me figure out the perfect revenge. I fought the urge to laugh and clap my hands. This was gonna be good. All I needed was a trip to the mall!

With one final punch that sent the bag twirling, Ranger stopped hitting the bag and took a step back from it, catching it so it would stop swinging. He jerked his head toward the sparring ring. "Want to go a few rounds? Make you feel better." He gave me his 'almost' smile.

"Nah," I shook my head. "I'll come up with a better way to get even." I held out a bottle of cold water to him.

"Afraid of that," he said as he left the bag, bending at the waist, trying to catch his breath. "Would groveling help?" he said hopefully, looking over at me.

I had to smile. "Probably, at some point. I'll let you know when."

He went down on his knees in front of me, using his teeth to grab the end of the Velcro strap that secured his glove. Ripping it open, he tucked the glove under his arm to pull his hand free. Even with the padding, his knuckles looked red and swollen from the beating he'd given them. Sitting back on his heels, he removed the other glove and dropped them on the mat beside him.

I opened the bottle of water and he took it, pouring part of it over his face and head. I couldn't help but watch the water run in little rivulets down his chest and over those incredible eight-pack abs, into the waistband of his sweats. Tipping his head back, he downed the rest of it in one go, like a man dying of thirst. I held out the other bottle, but he just shook his head and let himself fall backward onto the mat, arms and legs outstretched, eyes closed.

The pulse throbbed in his neck and he was still dragging in lungfuls of air, his chest heaving from the workout. I watched him, fascinated, as he calmed his breathing, in through his nose, out through his mouth, and his heart rate slowed. It seemed like he was always in control of everything.

I sat there, watching him, trying to figure out what I was feeling. It struck me as weird that for as often and as much as Joe and I fought, it was all yelling and arm waving and fine, old Italian hand gestures … on both our parts. I'd yell and flap my arms around, Joe'd do the same and we'd both stomp off in a huff. It wasn't like we stayed mad or hurt; it was like we needed an excuse to get away from each other.

Why was it that I always got so much madder at Ranger? That I wanted to attack him physically? Maybe it was because he was so calm and rational while I was a screaming Banshee. Or maybe it was because what he'd said to me all those months ago was true … that the opposite of love wasn't hate … it was apathy.

Well, we knew that I wasn't apathetic, not where Ranger was concerned. And as hard as I tried, I just couldn't hate him. That only left one emotion … and I wasn't prepared to deal with that possibility right now and filed love away in my Denial File.

"Earth to Steph," Ranger said. "So you're not here to torment me, and you don't want to get in the ring, what's the reason you came down here?" he asked, still spread eagle on the mat.

I blew out a big sigh. "To do something I should have done a long time ago."

"Jump my bones?" he said with a smile, his eyes still closed.

"In your dreams, Manoso!" and we both laughed. "I have a couple of questions I should have asked when all this started."

"Okay. But if you're determined to talk, I'm gonna go take a quick shower. I'm a little ripe." He rolled over slowly and got to his feet, heading toward the locker room. "Care to join me?" he called over his shoulder.

"Thanks, but I've already had my cold shower," I said with a rueful smile.

"Did it help?" He stopped with his hand on the door and looked back at me.

I just shook my head and shrugged. "Good!" he quipped. "Misery loves company."

I fought the urge to bolt. Maybe he'd forget that I came down here. The great thing about living in denial is that you didn't have to deal with your problems. The down side is that when you finally came up for air and faced reality, you were always playing 'catch up'. Everybody else already knew what was going on and there you were, just standing around looking stupid. Or in my case, sitting around.

It was embarrassing. But I didn't see that I had much of a choice so I pulled up my big girl panties and got a grip. I should have approached this like it was a contract and asked for the terms and definitions in writing. Ranger was a businessman, he would have understood that, wouldn't he?

When Ranger came back a few minutes later he was wearing sweats, his damp hair slicked back from his face, and he didn't smell like Bulgari. He slid down the wall and sat on the floor next to me, handed me a bottle of water and pressed a cold gel pack onto my toes.

"They're swollen," he said. "You aren't limping so I don't think they're broken. You probably just jammed them."

"Umm, okay, thanks," I said, a little embarrassed that I had lost it so badly.

"You said you had questions …." He rested his arms straight out on his bent knees and tipped his head back against the mirror, his eyes closed, looking completely relaxed and at ease.

I took a deep, steadying breath, hoping that my voice wouldn't betray how nervous I was. "The deal. What, exactly, do you expect from me?" I picked at the label on the water bottle I was holding.

"I already told you, 'Sleep in my bed, eat at my table, work for my company, and companionship'… there's no fine print, Stephanie." See? I was right! Contract!

"Um, about the companionship thing. I don't know what you mean by that."

"What does 'companionship' mean to you?" he asked.

I thought about it for a minute. "I don't know, hanging out with friends, doing stuff together … things like that," I said with a shrug.

I sneaked a peek at him under my lashes. His eyes were still shut but his lips tipped up, "Exactly what I would have said."

Surprised, I turned to look at him. "You mean you want to hang out and do stuff together? Like … like bowling?"

He slit an eye open and grimaced. "You go bowling?" he asked.

"Well, no. But, I have no idea what you like to do and bowling's 'stuff'."

"Okay, then yeah," he shrugged a shoulder. "We'll work out 'stuff' later on."

"You mean that's it? You want me to live here, work here, and hang out with you. You don't want anything else?"

"Nope."

I licked my lips, suddenly nervous. "Not even sex?"

He cracked his eyes open and gave me a full on smile. "Well, I certainly wouldn't turn it down if you offered."

I elbowed him in the ribs. "But you aren't going to expect it or demand it?"

He reached over and put a finger under my chin, turning my head so we were looking each other in the eye. "It's your choice Stephanie," he said seriously, no smile, no twinkle in his eyes, no wolf grin. "It's always been your choice, it always will be. That's what I was trying to show you."

**I heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Yeah, well, next time, try using your words." **

**"I did." The corners of his mouth tipped up. "But you didn't believe me." He waited a couple of beats, then said, "I pride myself on being a man of my word. I say what I mean and mean what I say. No word games." **

**I opened my mouth to make some crabby remark about his annoying habit of feeding me only select bits and pieces of information when I asked him about something, but he already knew what I was going to say. "There are occasions where I may not tell you everything I know, but what I ****_do_**** tell you is always the truth." **

"Okay." I nodded, suddenly exhausted. "Okay." I yawned and rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands.

Ranger eyed me for a minute, then stood up and pulled me to my feet. He slung his arm around my neck and kissed me at my hairline. "You need to get some sleep. Let's skip breakfast, I don't want you falling asleep in your oatmeal. I'll tell Ella to bring us brunch later on instead. Okay?"

Oatmeal? Uh-oh! But I nodded and decided not to fight the small stuff. I leaned against him, my arm around his waist as we walked toward the door.

We were halfway there when I remembered what Mary Lou had said. I stopped short and looked down at the floor.

He stopped too, and looked down at me with a cocked eyebrow. "What?"

"Why me?" I blurted out and a small furrow appeared between his eyebrows. "I mean, of all the things you could have asked Joe for, why did you ask for _me_?"

Ranger dropped his arm from my shoulders and wrapped it around my waist, pulling me slowly toward him until I was flush against his hard body. "You're on your own with that one, Stephanie." He tucked my hair behind my ear and wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, rubbing gently. "You'll have to figure it out for yourself." He leaned down and kissed me, soft and long and slow. His tongue touched mine and I got a rush about a millimeter below the climax I so desperately wanted.

I clung to him for a minute or two, my arms around his waist, my head on his shoulder, waiting for my melted bones to solidify again and trying to remember how to breathe. Ranger rocked me a little and I yawned against his neck. "You need to get to bed, Babe," he said into my hair. "You're asleep on your feet."

He was right. I was so tired. Tired of arguing, tired of being confused, tired of being angry; it felt good just to be held.

When I stepped back from him, I looked up at the security camera focused on us. "Do you think Hal will sell this tape to the evening news?"

"Not if he wants to live." Ranger opened the gym door for me. He watched as I stepped out into the hall and turned toward the elevator … no way was I taking the stairs back upstairs.

"Oh," I said, turning back to him, "just so you know. I'm asking Louis to install a shower massager in the bathroom for me."

Ranger closed his eyes and thumped his forehead against the door jamb, his groan echoing down the hall. I grinned like a fool all the way back up to the seventh floor. Payback's a bitch and I was just getting started!

TBC…

A/N: So, what do you think Stephanie's revenge will be? Will she make Ranger grovel? Is it true that love means never having to say you're sorry? And I've been using a lot of quotes and scenes from the books, some verbatim, some with a few words changed to make them fit. How many can you identify in this chapter?

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, emailed and PMed me after the last chapter. I tried to answer each one, I hope I haven't missed any. If I have, I sincerely apologize. As some of you know, my computer crashed and it took 2 ½ weeks to get it fixed. Of course, I lost the whole chapter that I'd been working on and had to recreate it. So I'm sorry it took so long to post this one. I promise I'll try to do better.

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing …

Stayce


	27. All About Loving You!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and Friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and Miranda for friendship and encouragement and letting me rant, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

_**Love is more than three words mumbled before bedtime.**_

_**Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day.**_

_**Nicholas Sparks**_

**Chapter 27: All About Loving You!**

Ranger watched me over the top of the newspaper he was reading and I could tell by the crinkles around his eyes that he was smiling. I was amusing him again. We were sitting across the dining room table from each other and I had just popped a bite of stuffed French toast, swimming in melted butter and hot maple syrup, into my mouth.

I closed my eyes and may have sighed in bliss, but no, I did _not_ moan. Not even once. See? Who says I don't have any self-control. Thanks to Ella, the coffee was hot, the pomegranate juice was cold, the bacon was crisp and I was in hog heaven! Hog being the operative word!

Fork poised to stab another bite, I looked down at my plate, and realized that I had snarfed down everything but the pattern off the china. I was stuffed to the gills and _still_ wanted more. There was one lone piece of bacon sitting on the platter, calling my name. I looked at it longingly but decided not to make a total pig of myself. At least, not in front of Ranger.

After his crack last night about me falling asleep in my oatmeal, I'd been a little afraid of what would be on the brunch menu. I mean, we all knew how Ranger ate. He definitely wasn't a 'live to eat-er' like me, so I had to admit that I was more than a little surprised, and a whole lot relieved, that it didn't look like Ranger was gonna try to make me live by his 'healthy' diet rules and regulations while I was here.

Now don't get me wrong, his egg white omelet really looked pretty good. After all, Ella made it and she was a culinary genius. It had been loaded with onions and peppers and mushrooms, topped with sliced avocado and something that looked like salsa, but really, those were all vegetables, weren't they? And that naked grapefruit and plain, unflavored yogurt with a granola that looked suspiciously like bark and twigs? Ugh! No thanks.

I mean, let's face reality here. While all that stuff might be healthy and good for me, I needed sugar, fat, and carbs to get my motor running. Needless to say, courtesy of Ella's cooking, my motor was humming along just fine, thankyouverymuch.

I kept waiting for Ranger to say, "That stuff is gonna kill you, Babe." But honestly, someday _something_ was gonna kill me; I figure I might as well go happy, right?

There really was no way to chat while we both had our mouths full, so we divied up the morning newspaper while we ate. He took the Business and Finance section, I got Style and Entertainment. I read the comics, my horoscope, the newest fashion trends, and all about Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush's latest split, while I stuffed my face.

Ranger ate, then sat back in his chair with the paper to finish whatever it was that he was reading. It was weird. After all the emotional upheaval and near hysteria of last night, this morning's scene was totally relaxed and comfortable … and oddly domestic. It was almost like last night never happened.

I guess our conversation in the gym had done a lot to curb my over-active imagination and I wasn't afraid that Ranger was going to pounce on me, throw me down on the floor, and have his wicked way with me. Okay, so maybe there was just the teeniest little bit of disappointment thrown into that mix. I know, I know! You're thinking that my feelings were conflicted, but this is me we're talking about. Conflicted is my normal state of being.

As if he could feel my eyes on him, Ranger looked up at me, put down his paper and picked up his coffee. "So," he over the rim of his cup, "what do you have planned for today?"

Oh! If he only knew! I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. See, as soon as I woke up this morning, I called Mary Lou and gave her a run down on everything that happened last night. She was hopping mad and, fellow Jersey Girl that she is, wanted to know how I planned on getting even.

All I said was, "You know that lace nightgown you keep trying to lend me?" and she was on board, ready, willing, and able to help me get revenge against Ranger. After the stunt he pulled last night, that man was goin' down! Of course, I sure as hell wasn't gonna tell _him_ that!

"Well," I said as nonchalantly as I could muster, eyeing that last piece of bacon for the umpteenth time, "Mary Lou and I planned on stopping at the mall and a couple other places to shop the sales. I need to pick up a few things."

Ranger must have noticed my bacon lust because he pushed the platter over to me. So I snagged the strip off the plate and nibbled daintily instead of just shoving the whole thing into my mouth all at once. Oh come on! You know it's a sin to waste food!

"And then, since I couldn't get there last night, I'm supposed to have dinner at my parents' house." I blew out a deep breath. "I'm gonna have to break the news that I'm living here now. I'm not sure how that's gonna go over."

"Do you really think they'll give you a hard time?" He put down his coffee cup and folded his arms on the table.

I gave him a one shoulder shrug and refilled my cup from the silver coffee pot that Ella had brought up on the breakfast tray. Yeah, my family would be giving me a hard time all right, just not the kind of hard time he thought.

Valerie would be badgering me for a detailed description of the penthouse, how was it decorated, how much closet space, were the kitchen appliances stainless steel? Grandma Mazur would be grilling me about Ranger's 'package' and I didn't even want to _think _about the questions _she'd_ be asking about length, width, and staying power. And my mother? She'd just be working on the seating chart for the wedding reception. Thankfully, my father would be oblivious to everything except for the food on the table.

"What time do you have to be there?" Ranger asked.

"House rules state that if I'm not there by six sharp, dinner will be ruined." I sighed and wondered if I was supposed to clear stuff like that with him ahead of time. "Um, that _is_ okay, isn't it?" I felt a little dorkie asking for permission, but I didn't think that even Emily Post would have known what the proper etiquette for a situation as strange as this one was.

He arched an eyebrow at me. "Stephanie, living here might be part of our deal, but you're not a prisoner. You're free to come and go as you please. I don't expect you to check in and out of the building or clear your plans with me."

"Okay." Well, good to know I wasn't under house arrest. "I can handle that. I guess I didn't know what you expected."

"Since we're on the subject of expectations …" He picked up a manila envelope off one of the other chairs and slid it across the table to me. "You're part of RangeMan again and you'll be expected to carry these at all times, just like the rest of us." He handed me a holstered 9mm Sig Saur. "This, too."

I opened the envelope and dumped the contents. There was a wallet sized carry concealed permit, a RangeMan ID, a new tracker, a panic button, and a new sat phone. "You've always had a GPS with you and on your vehicles, so none of this is anything new."

True, this was standard RangeMan operating procedure for every employee and I'd never really minded it before. Now it felt a little invasive, though, and like maybe he was going to be keeping tabs on me. Probably I was just being overly sensitive. I really couldn't picture him sitting in front of a monitor tracking me through the mall all afternoon.

Ranger looked at me and arched an eyebrow. I knew he could read my face, but there were times I could swear I had a tag line running across my forehead that flashed what was going on in my brain. "Stephanie, my code is RM1. You can go to the Comm Room and check my location any time you want." I nodded, feeling a little silly that I was seeing ulterior motives behind everything he did.

"I'll try to remember to let you know where I'm going when I leave the building and when I'll be back. As a courtesy to our living arrangement," he looked like he was thinking about smiling.

"Okay. I'll try to do the same." I could be as courteous has he could. I just didn't know which one of us would have a harder time actually sticking to that little arrangement. Me, because I usually just ran off willy-nilly, or Ranger, because he wasn't used to sharing that kind of information … or any kind of information for that matter.

We cleared the table together, me rinsing the dishes and Ranger loading the dishwasher like it was something we did every day. "Normally, Ella and Louis have the weekends off," he said conversationally as he filled the soap dispenser. "Generally, I just fend for myself on those days… grab a salad or some fruit." He grinned when I curled my lip. "So, it's up to you to decide how you want to handle meals. We can cook here, eat out, or call for delivery. Whatever you want."

I braced one hand on the counter and the other on my hip and gave him a look. "Well, unless you have Top Chef abilities you haven't told me about, as you know, the greatest epicurean delight in _my_ culinary repertoire is peanut butter and olives on white bread," I said sarcastically and held up a finger. "If I'm cooking for company, I cut off the crusts."

"O-kay!" he grimaced. "That takes care of that! It's either eating out or …" he opened a kitchen drawer and pointed to a stack of delivery menus from local restaurants. "We could go this route."

"Wow! That's a surprise! I didn't think you did delivery."

"Except for an occasional Chinese food fix, I don't, but I know you do. Ella collected these. Apparently the guys who live on four recommend these places." He picked up one of the menus and scanned it. "I'm going to have to up the number of mandatory work outs if the men are eating this stuff." I swear he shuddered.

"Hey! If Ella and Louis have the weekends off, who made brunch?" I asked, trying to distract him.

"They stuck around because Ella couldn't wait to cook for you. It took her three days to decide what to make. She kept running menus past me … chocolate chip pancakes, Belgian waffles, blueberry something-or-others, all kinds of stuff," he said with a wince and a shake of his head. "Oh, and she wants you to know that you'll be getting dessert every night, too." I think Ranger was tempted to roll his eyes.

"Ahhhh," I sighed and sagged against the counter dramatically, fanning my face with both hands. "Dessert after dinner? Be still my heart!" I closed my eyes and sighed again.

"Smartass!" He grinned at me.

"I'm sorta surprised that you're gonna let her make me that kind of stuff, you know, defiling the inner sanctum and all." I waved my hands around to indicate the whole apartment.

"Ella wants you to feel welcome here." He waited a beat. "And so do I."

Ranger caught me totally off guard with that one. "I was afraid I'd be eating that cardboard cereal in your cupboard," I quipped, trying to make a joke out of it.

Ranger cut his eyes to me. "Babe, I've looked in my cupboard. You've got Frosted Flakes in there. There are chips and Tastykakes and white bread in my kitchen. Last night you came down to the gym with Doodle dust on your shirt. How much worse could it get?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "I can see it now," I grinned. "When I leave you're gonna have to have the whole building exorcised to drive out the fat and sugar demons. You'll need a shaman to come in and burn sage or something to purify the place."

"A small price to pay to keep both you and Ella happy."

"I guess Ella still has hopes," I snickered as I dried my hands on a kitchen towel.

"Hopes of what?" Ranger glanced over at me as he started the dishwasher.

I rolled my eyes and gave him a slightly embarrassed look. "Do you remember when I was hiding out here during the Slayer mess?"

He nodded and his eyes darkened. "Vividly. I remember finding you sleeping in my bed."

"Yeah, I'm a regular Goldilocks," I snickered.

"No," he said thoughtfully. "I don't think Goldilocks snored."

"I don't snore!" I gave him a glare. "_Any_way, Ella told me that all you ever thought about was work. That you were such a nice handsome young man and had no girlfriend … until I came along." I snorted. "I'm guessing she doesn't know about your 'no relationship' policy, huh?" I gave him a raised eyebrow look.

He arched an eyebrow right back at me. "Girlfriend?"

I held up my hand in a 'stop' gesture. "Don't worry! I made it crystal clear that I wasn't. Then this light bulb went on over her head, I guess when she realized that we'd slept together. She didn't know it was just _platonic_ …"

He cut me off. "Until you fondled me."

"NO, no, no, no! I did not fondle you!" I squeaked, embarrassed for some strange reason. "I am not a fondler! There was absolutely no fondling going on!" I kind of flapped my hands around.

"So _you _say."

"So I _know_!" I snapped before I noticed the twinkle in his eye. He was baiting me and I fell for it.

"Louse," I said in mock outrage and he caught the kitchen sponge I pitched at him.

"Sooo, she gave me this horrified look and said, 'He isn't paying you, is he? Like the way Richard Gere was paying Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman?'"

Ranger burst out laughing. I wasn't sure what he thought was so funny, me being mistaken for a hooker or him having to pay for sex. Whichever it was, he certainly got a kick out of it.

"Of course I set her straight on that, too," I said and made a face. "She said maybe I'd _become_ a girlfriend and I guess she's still hoping that'll happen." Ranger was still laughing. "Oh _come on_! It's not _that_ funny."

"Oh, yes it is!" He said chuckling, cupping my face and kissing me on the mouth. "We have forty-five and a half more days together. Anything can happen." He slung an arm around my shoulders, ushering me out of the kitchen and into the living room. "Who knows, Ella might get her wish."

I gave him a sidelong glance to see if he was making fun of me, but I guess that was just supposed to be Ranger humor. "I can't believe you're counting the days," I said.

"Stephanie, I'm counting the minutes."

Whoa! My jaw dropped and I gaped at him. What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean? Ranger was always so cryptic that sometimes I had a hard time trying to figure out what he meant. "You want to get rid of me already?" I blurted out.

"Not a chance," he said, his expression dead serious.

"Oh! Well, just checking," I said, still not completely sure he wasn't mocking me. I swallowed hard and fumbled for something to say. "So, um, what's on _your_ agenda for today?" I asked him as we sat next to each other on the couch.

Ranger made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a groan. "My favorite thing, paperwork. I have some supply contracts to go over. RangeMan is growing so quickly that we have to make sure we have materials on hand now, instead of buying them for each job."

"What, no more running down to Radio Shack to buy a couple of feet of cable and some do-hickies and thingamajigs?"

He gave me a half smile. "These days it's a couple _hundred_ feet of cable and dozens of do-hickies."

"Yeah, the bigger you grow, the more complicated it gets, I guess," I said. "You don't just pay sticker price anymore. Now you have to worry about cost overages, profit/loss ratios, production guarantees, profit margins … all kinds of fun stuff like that."

"You know about cost overages and profit margins?" I could hear the surprise in his voice.

"Of course I do," I said matter-of-factly. "I was a Business major in college. Graduated in the top ninety-five percent of my class." I fluttered my eyelashes at him and earned a grin. "Plus, you know that in a previous life I was a lingerie buyer for E.E. Martin. There was a lot more to that job than just picking out granny panties and letting some fat, sweaty old guy chase me around his desk."

Ranger leaned back and narrowed his eyes. "Did he ever catch you?"

"Puh-leese!" I rolled my eyes. "Seriously though, I had to operate on a really tight budget so I had to make sure I got the most bang for my buck. I dealt with manufacturers instead of distributors. You know, cut out the middle man and save money."

"I'm impressed." He sounded so serious that I felt kind of embarrassed.

"Oh, don't be!" I sighed. "I lived the glamorous life of a discount lingerie buyer for a second rate department store that fronted for the mob. Which, by the way, was closed down because somebody didn't get their palm greased enough and ratted the owners out to the FBI. Most of my days were spent sweet-talking sleaze ball sweat shop owners and touring Newark's high class warehouse district… and all in pantyhose, four inch heels and a short skirt."

Ranger studied me for a minute. "I'm betting that you did the job the same as if you'd been working for some high end store though, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. The job's pretty much the same, just no expense account to cover the three martini lunches." I gave him a rueful smile. "I had to maintain a set profit margin, so I had to find the best quality for the lowest price, negotiate everything from materials to costs, and delivery to production guarantees. I had to keep everybody happy, get the contracts signed, sealed and delivered, and answer to corporate for everything I did."

"Did you enjoy doing that? The negotiating, I mean?"

I thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, I liked that part. It kept the job interesting and I was good at it. Plus, it was a challenge."

"And we all know how much you love a challenge." He arched an eyebrow at me and I rolled mine in response.

His cell rang and he pulled it from his belt and checked the caller ID. "Business," he said by way of explanation. Ranger slipped into corporate mode and I went into the bedroom to finish getting ready for my shopping expedition.

I was leaning into the bathroom mirror, putting on my lip gloss, when I realized that Ranger was leaning in the doorway, watching me.

"I have a nervous client that needs some hand holding and I'm going to have to go meet him. I'll be back by 5:30 so we can get to your parents' house on time."

I was so surprised that the lip gloss wand jerked in my hand and I wound up with a 'Cherry Crush' moustache. I blinked at him a couple of times before I found my voice. "You … you're coming with me? To my parents' house? For dinner? Of your own free will?" There was no way to disguise the shock in my voice or on my face.

"Of course I am." He pulled a tissue out of the box on the counter and wiped the red streak that decorated my upper lip. "Do you honestly think I'd let you go and face the music by yourself?"

Well, _yeah_! I would have been willing to bet big bucks that the only way I'd ever get Ranger to go to a Plum-Kloughn Family Circus dinner was if I knocked him unconscious and dragged him into the house … in shackles!

"But … but … " and I did my goldfish routine while I tried to rub away the sudden sharp pain that was stabbing me in the forehead. Probably I was having a stroke and wouldn't have to worry about dinner at all.

Ranger put his hands on my shoulders and gently kissed my throbbing temple. "Stephanie, stop panicking. You forget that I've been in some pretty hairy situations in some of the worse hell holes on the planet. How bad could a little family dinner be?"

Oh, he had no idea! I had to wonder if he'd want to add hazardous duty pay to our deal, you know, after the fact.

"It'll be fine, you'll see. I just can't promise not to shoot your grandma if she tries to feel me up." I wasn't sure if that was more Ranger humor or if he really meant it.

"I still don't get why you want to do this."

"Something else you'll have to figure out for yourself." Reaching out, he wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, pulled me to him, and kissed me, tongue and all. "Ummmm, cherry," he said against my mouth and ran the tip of his tongue across my bottom lip.

"Ah-hanh," was all I could get out. I licked my lips and smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt where my fingers had curled into it. Hoo boy! That man certainly did have the ability to throw me for a loop, and he knew it!

He went into the dressing room and grabbed his jacket, gave me quick kiss and was out the door, leaving me even more confused than I was before. I just couldn't seem to find any balance when I was around him and it was starting to piss me off! Maybe my revenge would level the playing field a little and I could rattle him for a change. Now _that_ was a happy thought!

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. As much as I didn't want to, I pulled out my phone. "Hi Mom," I said as cheerfully as I could. "Guess who's coming to dinner!" My mother squealed like a thirteen year-old and I couldn't hang up fast enough.

I gave Rex a grape, a carrot, and a couple of Cheese Doodles for dessert, grabbed my jacket and purse and headed out the door. I had my hand on the knob when I remembered all the stuff sitting on the dining room table. I was really tempted to leave it all right where it was, but that was no way to start off my 'stay' at RangeMan.

I went back into the dining room and grabbed it all, stuffing it into my bag, bitching the whole time about how much that stupid gun weighed. Okay, so it was only two pounds fully loaded, but it was the principle of the thing.

All right, I admit it! If I cleaned out some of the crap I had in my purse, I'd never notice the gun at all. 'Be prepared' is the Jersey Girl motto … the Boy Scouts stole it from us. A girl never knew when she might need a Tide Stain Pen, or a pair of flip-flops, or an extra can of Aquanet, or half a Hershey bar, or sixteen dollars in emergency change that had collected on the bottom of the bag. Plus a purse that heavy made a great weapon, even if it did make you walk lopsided. You just carried your shopping bags in the other hand and you straightened right out! And being so stuffed with junk, probably it could stop a bullet. Who needed Kevlar? It was the Jersey Girl version of a survival kit. The Merry Men had theirs … I had mine!

I was in the elevator on my way down to the garage when it stopped on the fifth floor. The doors pinged open and Lester started to get on. "Hiya Bomber," he said grinning at me. "I was just thinking about you. I found something that I need to give you. You got a minute?"

"Can it wait? I'm on my way to the mall. Macy's has a sale going on." I was hoping for a quick escape but Lester snagged my hand and pulled me off the elevator.

Lester grinned. "Only someone with a death wish would stand between a woman and a sale, but I promise this'll only take a sec."

"So," he said, hooking his arm through mine as we went down the hall. "You and the bossman all settled in upstairs? All nice and cozy?" He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.

"Oh yeah," I said nonchalantly. I didn't want to be rude to Lester, but I sure wasn't going to discuss my living arrangements with him either.

Much as I loved him, Lester had loose lips. If he had a juicy piece of gossip, the whole company heard it in no time flat. Nothing was sacred and nothing was secret. And it wasn't just talk either. He could My Space, Facebook, Tweet and text, all at the same time. Lester gave new meaning to the phrase, 'I heard it through the grapevine'! Lester _was _the grapevine.

He glanced at me, obviously expecting me to say more. When I didn't oblige, he tried to press. "So," he said again. "How're you and Ranger getting along?"

"Fine, thanks." I smiled and nodded at him.

"We couldn't help but notice that he slept on the fourth floor last night. What's that all about?"

I just shrugged.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You're not gonna tell me anything, are you?" he asked sourly.

"You know I love you, Les, but nope," I said with a grin and I hugged his arm.

He blew out a deep, dramatic sigh. "You _do_ realize that you're ruining my reputation, right?"

"You mean as the company gossip?" I laughed. "Think of it as saving your life. What do you suppose Ranger's reaction would be if he found out you were talking about us?"

"Gossip is such a nasty word," Lester scoffed. "I prefer to think of myself as a social commentator, like Letterman or Leno or Conan," he quipped as he unlocked his office door and stood back so I could go in first.

"That better be Conan the Barbarian," Tank growled from the hallway, making us both jump. "Ranger catches wind of your 'social commentaries' he won't just meet you on the mat, Santos, he'll beat you _into _a mat."

I swear Lester muttered, 'Party pooper' under his breath. "Okay, okay!" he mumbled. "Lips are zipped." Behind Lester's back, Tank gave me a wink and continued on down the hall. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at crestfallen Lester.

"All joking aside though, Bombshell," he was serious as he took my hand and squeezed it. "You need anything, you call me."

"Thanks, Les." He really was a sweetheart, and I kissed him on the cheek. "Okay, I hate to cut this short, but I really need to get down to business." I tapped my wristwatch. "Whatta ya got for me? I'm supposed to meet Mary Lou in a little while and I don't want to be late."

Lester went to his desk and unlocked a drawer. "I came across this when I was closing out the Abruzzi files." He was all business now. He took a plastic baggie out of the drawer and held it out to me. "These are all the personal effects you had on you when you were brought into the hospital in Baltimore. I already gave the glasses with the camera and mic back to Hector, but the jewelry is yours and when I recharged the phone you used on that little mission, I saw you had a bunch of text messages and voice mails. I figured you'd want to clear them yourself."

"Thanks Les, I appreciate it," I said with a weak smile. My stomach did an automatic roll when he mentioned Eddie Abruzzi. It was only a few weeks ago that he had tried to kill both Ranger and me, and I had done a pretty good job of burying those memories way down deep, and that was right where I wanted to keep them, forever.

Lester put a hand on my shoulder. "You okay? You look a little pale. Jeez! I'm sorry Steph; I didn't mean to upset you." He ran his hand up and down my arm soothingly.

"Oh, you didn't. I'm fine, honest!" and I forced a smile and shoved the plastic bag into my purse.

We headed back to the elevator chatting about nothing in particular with Lester throwing glances my way like he was expecting me to keel over. He finally relaxed when I poked him in the chest and told him to knock it off.

The doors opened in the garage and we both gasped at the blast of cold wind that hit us. I took off for my car and Lester sprinted across the garage toward his SUV. "Hey Lester," I yelled after him. "You know you're still not off the hook for making me be a waitress in Baltimore."

He grinned and blew me a kiss before diving into his vehicle, revving the engine and squealing up the exit ramp, the big showoff. I climbed into my rusty little 1998 Rav 4 and tried cranking over the engine a couple of times before it caught. It didn't like cold weather. Of course it didn't like warm weather either, or wet weather or dry weather, but what the hell, it got me where I wanted to go. I turned the temperature gauge all the way up and slouched down in the seat while I waited for the heat to kick on. I used the time to take a look at the text messages on the sat phone.

I scrolled through them, deleting as I went along. They were all the messages that Ranger and Hector and Bobby had sent, warning me to get the hell out of the Abruzzis' hotel suite. Believe me, I'd tried, but it wasn't just a matter of turning around and walking out. Especially not once Eddie'd recognized me!

I really didn't want to take that stroll down memory lane. If my stomach had rolled at just the mention of Abruzzi's name, now I was positively sick to my stomach remembering what it had been like to face that maniac and his Napoleon complex. It was a relief to delete the last message.

I hit the voicemail button. "First message, sent Saturday…" Ugh! I _hated _that voice. I could just picture the bitch … tall, blonde, skinny, big boobs …

"Miss Plum, this is Detective Rinaldi. I need to speak with you. Please call me back as soon as you can." The message was dated the day before my final run in with Abruzzi. I hit delete.

"Stephanie? This is your mother speaking. Why didn't you tell me …" Delete.

"Stephanie? This is your mother. Where are y…" Delete.

"Yo, Dudette!" Mooner. "Me and Dougie are having a _I Dream of Jeannie_ party tonight and we need a Jeannie! We got a costume and a blond wig and a genie bottle and everything. I'm gonna be the Blue Djin! Dougie just finished coloring my face with Magic Marker. I look cool, man! Hope you can make the party!" Delete.

"Stephanie? This is your mo…" Delete.

"Stepha…" Delete.

"Hey Sweet Thang! I din' fo-get I owed ya." It took me a second to recognize Antoine's voice. I sat up so fast I dropped the phone and had to fish around on the floor for it. "Me an' mah dogs is safe an' soun' far away. I'm a man o' mah word an' I tell you whachu wanna know, but I ain't gonna leave no message. Don't want nobody but you getting' dat info. I call you agin sometime." Antoine had called five days ago.

A man of his word, my foot! He probably wanted something else and was gonna try to scam me again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice … well, you know the saying. I listened to the message again before I saved it and tried to call him back. It figured that the number he called from wasn't in service anymore. I had an overwhelming urge to hit something, so I smacked the dashboard and hoped the heater would take the hint.

The last message was from yesterday afternoon. It was another call from Detective Rinaldi. "Miss Plum, I've been trying to get in touch with you. Please call me as soon as possible. It's very important that I talk to you."

What the hell, I might as well get it over with, I thought, and punched in Rinaldi's phone number. He picked it up on the second ring.

"Rinaldi."

"Detective, this is Stephanie Plum."

"Miss Plum, I've been trying to reach you. I stopped by your apartment yesterday, but the super told me you'd moved and didn't know where you'd gone." Ranger had asked Dillon to play dumb and not say anything to anybody about my move. I'd guess some cash changed hands to insure Dillon's silence. I kicked in a twelve pack to seal the deal.

"Um, yes. My lease was up." I decided to go with partial truth. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I'd heard you were going to Baltimore on a fact finding mission. Initially I called to warn you against getting mixed up with Abruzzi's relatives, but I guess I didn't need to worry. You did just fine on your own. Congratulations on bringing down that whole Family." I heard the squeak of his chair and pictured him leaning back in it.

"Thanks, but really I didn't even know there was a Family … at least not _that _kind. All I was ever trying to do was help clear Joe."

The tone of his voice changed and he cleared his throat. "This may be a touchy subject, but have you heard from him lately?"

"Who, Joe?" I said, a little surprised that Rinaldi would ask. "Nope. Not a word. After everything that happened, I'd be the last person he'd get in touch with anyway."

"Well, I thought maybe you guys would get back together again." There was real kindness and concern in his voice.

I barked out a laugh. "No, that's not gonna happen. He's pretty high on my shit list since he cut me out of his life. We were always off and on, but I thought we made a real effort to work on stuff this last time. I guess I was wrong."

"I understand he ditched _all_ his friends and started hanging with a real rough bunch he met up with in prison. I didn't think he was the type." I could practically see Rinaldi shake his head.

"Neither did I. Just shows you how much I knew." I sounded bitter even to myself.

"Well you hang in there. Listen, would you be willing to come down and give a witness statement about Eddie Abruzzi's death. We're still chasing down leads on the people who were involved with his illegal activities here in Trenton, that's still active. But we're almost ready to close the file on his actual death. It's all part of putting the whole case to bed."

"Sure, I guess I could do that." I hesitated a second. "Um, look, I don't know if it's important, but I may have a lead on some information about the gun that Abruzzi used to kill his brother. Somebody bought it for Abruzzi from that guy D'Wayne, down on Stark Street. I may be able to find out who that somebody was." I heard his chair creak sharply as Rinaldi sat up.

His voice dropped to a whisper. "We can't discuss this on the phone. We need to talk face to face as soon as possible. Can you meet me now?"

"I'm on my way to the Quakerbridge Mall to meet a friend, but I guess I could swing by your office if you want."

"No, this needs to be private." He was silent for a minute. "There's a closed gas station on Route 1, about a mile before the mall. How about I meet you behind the building in fifteen minutes?"

When he said 'private' he meant it. "Okay, if it's that important, I suppose I could do that."

"Miss Plum, Stephanie, have you told anyone that you could to be getting this kind of information? Anyone at all?" Rinaldi sounded all cop now.

I was a little surprised at the tension in his voice. "No, I haven't spoken to anybody about it." I didn't think Ranger counted because he didn't know that Antoine had called me … yet.

"Keep it that way, and don't let anyone know that you and I are meeting. We don't want to draw any attention or raise any flags. It's important we fly under the radar with this. Do you understand?"

"And you're gonna explain all this to me, right?" My spidey sense was starting to give me that weird feeling on the back of my neck and suddenly I didn't care how heavy that Sig was. I was glad I had it in my purse.

"Yes, don't worry about it. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Oh, man! What was I getting myself into? I chugged out of the garage and made it to the boarded up gas station in exactly fifteen minutes. I pulled off Route 1 and rolled slowly through the trash littered lot to the back of the building. Stacks of 55 gallon drums, containing God only knew what, blocked the view from the highway and even in broad daylight the place creeped me out. It was the perfect setting for a murder or place to dump a body.

Rinaldi was already there and got out of his car as soon as he saw me drive up. I parked a few feet away and he scanned the area before he pulled open my car door and slid into the passenger seat. "Thanks for meeting me like this. I'm sorry about all the cloak and dagger crap, but we need to be careful."

"Why? I don't understand what's going on?" I wanted answers and I wanted them now, dammit!

He held up a hand in a stop gesture. "I know you don't, but first I need you to tell me about this information that you're supposed to get. I need to know what it's about, who it's coming from, and how you're supposed to get it. Tell me everything you can think of."

I must have looked a little reluctant because he leaned over and put a hand on my arm. "Stephanie, you could be in real trouble here. I can't help you if I don't know what we're up against. I'd really hate to see anything happen to you." Care and concern were written all over the man's face and I started to get a little knot in the pit of my stomach.

I thought about it for a minute. I didn't want to cause any more trouble for Antoine than he already had, but really, I guess I had to put saving my own neck ahead of saving his. I had no choice but to spill my guts to Rinaldi. So that's exactly what I did. I told him everything about everything, from Antoine's call for help, to the trip to Baltimore, to him disappearing on us.

"So after you picked him up, transported him and his dogs to Baltimore, and put him up in a safe house, Antoine walked out on you without a word?" Disbelief rang in Rinaldi's voice.

"Yup, and the phone message was the first anybody's heard from him."

"You have to hand it to him," Rinaldi chuckled and shook his head. "The kid's got balls. You do realize that there's a good chance that Antoine was yanking you chain and that he doesn't have any information at all, don't you? He may have called to try and weasel something else out of you."

I shrugged. "Sure, I thought about that right away. He's slick. He'll try to milk this for all he can get. I just didn't think Antoine was stupid enough to cross Ranger."

"Does Manoso know Antoine called you?"

I shook my head. "No. No one knows. Well, just Antoine and me, and now you."

"Good, keep it that way." Rinaldi blew out a breath and scrubbed his hand over his face, chewing over what I had told him. "Are you sure you don't know where Antoine is?" he pressed. "No guesses or gut instincts? There has to be something else!" he demanded.

I shook my head again. "No, I'm sorry. He didn't drop any clues or let anything slip. I'm not even sure that _he _knew what he was going to do. I wish I could help, but there isn't anything else I can tell you."

"I'm sorry I pushed you," he said apologetically. "But you don't have any idea how important this is."

"No, Detective, I don't. So why don't you tell me? What the heck is going on?" I was tired of being kept in the dark and it was my turn to get some answers.

Rinaldi looked out the passenger window for a minute, I guess trying to decide just how much to tell me. Finally he blew out a deep breath and turned back to me.

"The Attorney General's office is running an internal investigation, all very hush-hush, on the down low. It looks like Abruzzi and his 'Family' had a cop on their payroll." Rinaldi sounded dejected, depressed and thoroughly disgusted. Joe always told me that nothing hurt a cop more than one of their own gone bad.

I wasn't surprised. I'd suspected it all along and Abruzzi, _himself_, had confirmed my suspicions. "Does anybody know who it is?"

"I have a pretty good idea," he said almost sadly, and looked out the windows, scanning the area again. I had a pretty good idea who it was, too. My money was on Malfitano to be the dirty cop, only I didn't say that to Rinaldi. Seeing as how they were partners, I didn't want to rub it in.

"Does this cop know that he's under suspicion? That the investigators are looking at him?"

Rinaldi nodded slowly. "Oh he's gotta," he said with a deep sigh. "He can probably feel the noose tightening around his neck and he's getting desperate. That desperation makes him more dangerous than ever."

"Why doesn't he just cut his loses and run?" I wanted to know.

"The Abruzzi Family carried a lot of clout. He probably thought he was safe and didn't need an escape hatch, at least until _you_ brought everything crashing down on him."

Oh swell! One more thing that was all my fault. "So what do you think he'll do?" I knew that if you cornered a rat, it'd attack. I wondered whether Rinaldi thought that he might be in danger himself.

"I don't see him turning himself in." The strain showed on his face and I really felt bad for him. This was his partner he was talking about. "He'll do whatever it takes to protect himself. We don't have any evidence to support the theory, yet, but I'm pretty sure he eliminated D'Wayne and most of his crew to cover his ass."

"Oh God!" I had to swallow the bile that burned my throat. It seemed like it had taken me forever to be able to close my eyes and not see D'Wayne's shotgun riddled remains on the inside of my eyelids, or smell the blood that oozed all over the floor. All it took was Rinaldi mentioning it and I was having a flashback of that gruesome scene. I had to wrap my arms around myself to keep from falling apart.

"The problem is that we don't have any solid evidence linking our dirty cop with those murders or even with Abruzzi. Almost everyone who could testify against him is dead. Now we have Antoine. We don't know where he is, and we don't even know if his information is legit. If he's on the up and up, we need him to start building a case."

"Yeah, well even if you find him, I don't see him coming back here, risking his life out of a sense of civic duty."

Rinaldi snorted a laugh. "Not hardly. But he could give sworn depositions from wherever he's hiding out. It would at least give us a starting point. IF he's telling the truth, that is."

"So now what?"

He rubbed a spot between his eyes while he thought. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do. We're both gonna keep our mouths shut about this whole thing. Don't tell anyone about Antoine calling you, or us meeting … nothing to nobody." He waited for me to nod before he went on. "Let me know if you hear from Antoine, whether or not he gives you any info. See if you can get him to tell you where he is." He gave a tired shrug. "You might as well try; we've got nothing to lose."

"Do you think I have anything to worry about, from Mal … um, the dirty cop?"

"Nah, don't give him another thought, Stephanie. I can practically guarantee you're safe from him." Somehow I knew that Malfitano would never hurt me.

Just then my phone rang and I jumped so high I almost smacked my head on the roof of the car. I grabbed the cell out of my purse and flipped it open, almost surprised to hear Mary Lou's voice and not Antoine's.

"Steph, where are you? You won't believe the sale on these shoes!" she squealed.

"I'm only about a mile away, Mare. I'll be there in a few minutes. I'll park by the shoe department door."

"Okay, hurry! We have a lot of mall to cover."

"On my way!" and I hung up.

I turned to Rinaldi and gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry," I mumbled. It seemed so ridiculous to think about buying shoes when he was faced with murder and a dirty cop.

"Don't worry about any of this, Stephanie," he gave me a sad smile. "Just go on with your life and call me if you hear from Antoine."

He got out of the car and I watched him walk over to his own vehicle, looking like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He motioned that I should leave first, and I gave him a wave as I drove past him.

I pulled out onto Route 1 and made it to the mall in record time. For once the parking gods were with me and I found a good spot by the right door and since I didn't have to worry about Malfitano bumping me off, all was right in my world … for a change.

Mary Lou and I hit the shoe sale and then stormed every lingerie department in the entire mall with a military precision that would have made Ranger proud, if he'd known about it. We hit Victoria's Secret and Bare Essentials, flew into Princeton to a couple of specialty shops, and dashed across the river to a mall outside of Philly. By the time we got back into Trenton, Lou's van was filled with lace and satin and silk, and maybe a little leather.

We made a pit stop at Pleasure Treasures, giggling over the stock the entire time we were in the place. We tasted and tested and not surprisingly, Lou bought more than I did. Oh boy! Was Lenny ever in for a big surprise! We blew through Ace Hardware before Lou dropped me off at my car that I'd left parked at the mall.

"You have no idea what I'd give to be a fly on the wall in that penthouse," she sighed as she helped me unload all my bags and stash them in the back seat of my car. "I don't suppose you could figure out a way to stash a hidden camera someplace, could you? I mean, it might be a good idea to record all this, you know, like for posterity or something."

"That's supposing this will work," I sighed. "What if it doesn't? What if he doesn't even notice?"

"Oh honey," Lou rolled her eyes at me. "You get rolled in garbage, covered in gunk, head humped by dogs … he's seen you smelly, dirty, stinky and slimed, and that man _still_ looks at you like he could eat you alive! You better make sure that stun gun of yours is fully charged, 'cause when he sees you in this stuff …" She motioned toward the shopping bags and the look she gave me said it all.

I laughed and gave her a hug, promising to let her know all the gory details of how the revenge worked. Being the best bud that she is, and knowing my luck with cars, Mare waited until I got my rust bucket started. Unfortunately, it didn't. In fact, it wouldn't do anything. No lights, no radio, no nothing except click, click, click. Crap!

Mary Lou rolled her eyes as we dragged all my bags back over to her van. "Maybe now that you're living at RangeMan and you don't have to pay rent and utilities, you can save enough money and get a decent car."

"Helloooo!" I replied holding up two hands full of shopping bags, "I just maxed out two credit cards on all this stuff. It'll take me _years_ to pay this off! That one La Perla corset cost as much as my rent did. And my cars may be pieces of crap, but they're always paid for."

I shoved the last two bags into the van and slammed the door and pulled out my cell. I had a choice. I could call my dad, or I could call RangeMan. I hit the speed dial.

"Yo!" Tank answered on the first ring.

"Tank," I whined. "Can you help me out? My car won't start and I accidentally let my Triple A lapse." Well, accidentally on purpose. I accidentally ran out of money and couldn't renew my membership.

I heard a deep chuckle. "No problem, Steph. I know just who to send for it, too."

Poor Lester.

Mary Lou followed a RangeMan vehicle into the garage and stopped in front of the elevator. I got out and was unloading my purchases when a grinning Hal jogged up and started scooping up the bags. He was so busy staring at Lou that he dumped the Pleasure Treasures bag all over the floor.

"Oh Jeez, Steph. I'm sor…" Hand outstretched for the Herbert Horsecock box, the poor guy realized what it was, and froze. His mouth dropped open and a rainbow of colors flashed across his face. "Uh, I, um …" He straightened up, like he was standing at attention, and just stared straight ahead.

I was busy biting my lip, trying not to laugh, no help at all. Mary Lou was a whole lot nicer than I was and she shot me a look before she ran to Hal's rescue. Smiling up at him, she took the empty bag out of his hand.

"Oh, let me do that, Hal. These are gag gifts for a wedding shower," she laughed as she collected Herbert and a purple rabbit, flavored oils and crotchless panties. She put everything back in the bag and then shoved it into my hands. "You be sure you wrap this stuff all nice and pretty," she said with a wink.

Blowing me a kiss, and one to Hal, she jumped into her soccer mom van and yelled, "Remember, I live vicariously through you! I want all the details!" She threw me a wave and took off for home.

Hal stood by the elevator, gazing after the van with a sappy grin on his face. "She knows my name!" His voice was filled with awe.

"Uh, yeah. Mary Lou is a real smart cookie."

"Isn't she the prettiest girl you ever saw?" He was still staring at the now empty exit ramp.

"Yeah Hal, and her husband and kids think so too."

"Her husband is the luckiest man on Earth." He turned to look down at me, his face bright with hope. "You gonna be inviting her over here a lot? Please?"

Uh-boy! Somebody had a crush. "Sure Hal, I'll let you know whenever she's gonna be here."

"Wow! Thanks Steph. You're a real pal!" He looked down at me with a blinding smile.

"So are you Hal!" I patted his arm as he carted all my packages upstairs for me. I would have patted the top of his head if I could have reached it.

I hurried up and emptied the bags, putting all my revenge-wear away. I put the turbo-charged shower massager on the sideboard next to the silver dish Ranger always dropped his keys in … but only so that Louis could find it right away when he came to install it, of course.

The contents of the Pleasure Treasures bag went into the night stand on my side of the bed. The empty bag went on the ottoman at the foot of the bed … just so Ranger could see it in case he strolled through the bedroom. I giggled to myself thinking about him wondering what I bought. I didn't think he'd actually snoop … but you never know.

I grabbed a quick shower, did my hair and make up, and was just putting in my jewelry when I heard the front door open and close. I could hear Ranger talking on his cell, and then the TV came on.

"Hey Steph, can you come out here for a minute," he called.

"Be right there." I called back and headed for the living room.

I stopped in the doorway and looked at Ranger. He was standing in front of the TV, hands on hip, frowning at the screen. He flicked his eyes up to mine. "You need to see this," he said, pointing at the screen.

I went over and stood beside him and looked at the TV. The pretty, plastic enhanced news anchor was talking about all the excitement at Quakerbridge Mall this afternoon. The film they showed must have been security footage from the parking lot. It showed a big black SUV pull up behind my Rav 4 and two men, who looked like Lester and Ram, got out and walked over to my car.

Ram unlocked the door and sat half in, half out of the driver's seat. Probably he put the key in the ignition to give it a try. They looked at one another and shook their heads, then Lester went to the hood and raised it bending over the engine. He fiddled with something and then made a hand gesture to Ram.

The explosion sent the hood of the Rav straight up in the air and blew the doors open. Lester got thrown across the hood of the next car and Ram scrambled out of the front seat. They both headed for the SUV and pulled out fire extinguishers, not that they did any good. In minutes the cars all around the Rav were engulfed in flames.

A crowd gathered, fire trucks and rescue vehicles arrived, and the security footage was bolstered by live coverage from a helicopter.

I turned to Ranger. "It's not my fault!"

Ranger put his arm around my waist and pulled me close, kissing my forehead. "It never is, Babe. It never is."

I sighed. "Another one bites the dust."

"I think you may have a new record here. Look at all those other cars. It's like a domino effect … one after another catching fire."

"Oh God! I hope the guys are okay."

"That was Ram on the phone. They're both fine. A few cuts and bruises, and but nothing major."

There was a loud knock and the apartment door opened. I couldn't tear my eyes off the screen as the local news played the loop over again. I heard what sounded like a strangled laugh and looked up to see Lester standing in the archway with Tank and Bobby behind him, struggling to keep straight faces. Even Ranger was pinching the bridge of his nose and looking at the floor.

Poor Lester looked like the poster child for the importance of using sun screen. His face and neck and forearms were bright red, his lips and eyelids and ears were all puffy and swollen, his hair was singed off in the front. His t-shirt was peppered with little holes and he smelled like smoke and gasoline and burned plastic.

But there was something else wrong and it took me a minute to figure out what it was. Oh my God! His face was naked. His eyebrows and beautiful long eyelashes were missing, blasted right off his face by the explosion.

"Hey Steph," Tank could barely choke out. "You got an eyebrow pencil we can borrow?"

"How about some false eyelashes?" Bobby had to lean against the wall.

"Ohh, wait! Maybe we should get some of that spray on hair they sell on those TV infomercials. You know, the stuff they use to c-c-cover bald spots." Tank collapsed on the couch in hysterics.

Lester just stood there, eyes narrowed, probably plotting their demise.

I knew I shouldn't laugh and I clapped my hands over my mouth, but God help me, I just couldn't stop myself.

We all howled, at least until Lester finally spoke.

"You do realize that this was meant for you, don't you Steph?"

**TBC …**

**So, do you think Lester was right? Did somebody blow up her car? And do you think her revenge will work? Will Ranger notice? Will he go snooping to find out what she bought at Pleasure Treasures? Let me know what you think …**

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I tried to reply to each review and I apologize if I missed anyone. You know what a review slut I am and how much I appreciate every single review I get. So thank you again. BTW, Ranger likes to read his reviews over breakfast.**

**Happy Easter … I hope everyone gets lots and lots of chocolate. Hey, do you think Stephanie eats the chocolate bunny ears or tail first? LOL!**

**Stayce**


	28. If I Fell In Love With You!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, All 15 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, for not being afraid to tell me that I haven't done my job, and Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, to Miranda for friendship and encouragement and letting me rant, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

**Trip over love, you can get up. Fall in love and you fall forever.**

**~Author Unknown~**

Chapter 28: If I Fell In Love With You!

Nobody took Lester's 'This was meant for you' comment seriously, least of all me! Tank and Bobby just ribbed him all the more for trying to scare me, and I would have smacked him one if I'd been able to find a place on him that was undamaged.

Ranger, on the other hand, exchanged a long, silent look with Lester. They nodded at each other and went off into Ranger's office, closing the door behind them. I'm telling you, RangeMan ESP exists and it really pisses me off!

Anyway, word about Lester and Ram, and my poor little RAV 4 bursting into flames, swept through RangeMan like wildfire, no pun intended. The news brought a steady stream of Merry Men upstairs and I swear every off duty RangeMan was squeezed into that penthouse. While each and every one of them checked to see that I was okay, which I thought was really very sweet, if truth be told, I was _not_ the main attraction.

When Lester and Ranger finally emerged from the office, a laughing, joking crowd formed around an increasingly peeved Lester, mercilessly teasing him with every lousy Hair Club for Men joke they could come up with. The poor guy just sat there, on one of the bar stools in the kitchen, glowering at the world, allowing me to play Nancy Nurse.

Ranger had hauled out the first aid kit for me and watched as I dabbed aloe vera gel onto Lester's face and neck and scalp. "You really do need to see a doctor, Les." I told him as he flinched and hissed at the pain. "You're starting to blister."

"I'll be fine," he grumbled.

"Yeah, but if you don't take care of this, your face could scar," I said sympathetically, dabbing as carefully as I could.

"_Scar_?" He jumped like somebody had goosed him and his eyebrows flew up to his hairline ... well, they would have if he still had any eyebrows, or a hairline. "You really think my face could _scar_?" He looked around the kitchen, panicked, then grabbed the chrome toaster off the counter and studied his reflection in the shiny surface. Vanity, thy name is Lester. The Merry Men roared with laughter at Lester's expense.

I felt awful for him. He had only been trying to help me out, to get my car started. This was proof positive that no good deed goes unpunished. "I'm so sorry, Les," I said to him. "I feel like I'm responsible for this."

"Only if you were the one who planted the bomb!" he retorted, still looking at his face in the toaster.

As soon as the words came out of Lester's mouth, the joking and teasing and frivolity came to a screeching halt and the laughter evaporated into thin air as we all gaped at him. Well, everyone except Ranger. Ranger never gaped in his life.

"Oh, knock it off, Lester!" I practically yelled at him. "Enough with the jokes already! This isn't funny anymore! Ram said he thought the crappy old battery in my crappy old car exploded and that's why it caught fire! So just cut it out!" I stuffed the aloe vera and cotton balls back in the first aid kit and slammed the lid shut.

"You've got big problems here, Steph, and …" Lester started to say.

I cut him off. "My biggest problem is that I'm not gonna be able to get car insurance in the state of New Jersey ever again and I'm gonna have to ride the _bus_ for the rest of my life." Reminder to self, find out if it was legal to haul skips to the station via public transit and whether I could deduct bus passes as a business expense on my taxes.

"Hey!" Cal called from the living room. "Did you see how many vehicles went up in flames? It must be some kind of a record!"

I gave Lester a dirty look and stomped back to the TV in the living room to watch the fire department hosing down the smoldering wreckage. "Yeah," I snarked. "Looks like it's a personal best. I wonder if they're still running betting pools down at the station." A couple of the guys snickered, so I guess one of the cops got a nice payoff because of this little misadventure. I wondered how much my cut would be.

"Stephanie!" Lester and a bunch of Merry Men trailed after me. "I was serious when I said that this was meant for you. This wasn't an accident!" Lester said through red, raw, swollen lips. "Somebody rigged a bomb in you car and tried to do _this_," he pointed at his blistered face, "or worse, to you!"

I planted my hands on my hips and turned on him. "That's just ridiculous!" I practically spat at him. "Nobody in their right mind would ever think that I'd look under the hood of a car. Hellooo! Jersey Girl here! We don't do engines … that's what we have you guys for!"

Okay, so maybe _once_, a long time ago,I opened the hood of a certain cop's car and removed a distributor cap, but honestly, I was disabling the vehicle, I wasn't trying to fix it!

"I think whoever planted the bomb fucked it up," Lester said, more to the Merry Men than to me. "I think the car was supposed to explode when she turned the key. It was all rigged to the starter."

I made a face at him and gave a derisive snort, probably to mask my growing fear that he was right. "Oh, come on, Lester!" I looked around at the Merry Men who had all gone into protective big brother mode in the space of a heartbeat. "Gu-uys!" I whined, but they all were wearing their RangeMan issued blank faces. Just great!

"Oh for crying out loud!" I blew out a frustrated breath. "That car was practically an antique! It was a miracle it ran at all! It had all kinds of stuff wrong with it. The radiator leaked and it was always breaking down and every time I slammed the door something else fell off … side-view mirrors, license plates, bumpers. The oil and gasoline fumes were so strong they used to make me dizzy, well, until I got used to them, but it had to be jump started all the time, and I had to smack the dash to make the heat come on and then it smelled like it was burning up and it had holes in the floor that would have made Fred Flintstone happy and the whole damn thing was held together with chewing gum and spit and … and …" Okay, so I knew I was babbling, but I just couldn't make myself shut up.

"Steph … Stephanie!" Ranger took my arm, trying to get me to focus. "Lester told me he saw the wires attached to the starter just before it blew."

Oh crap! Denial was such a nice, warm, comfy place and I really hated to leave it. My heart sort of stuttered in my chest and the room kinda tipped sideways as the realization that somebody had actually tried to blow me to smithereens hit. My vision got all cob-webby and those damn little black dots danced in front of my eyes … bells clanged in my head, the result of being bitch-slapped by reality, no doubt.

Ranger caught me by the tops of my arms as my knees folded under me. He steered me over to the ottoman and sat me down on it before I hit the floor.

He gently pushed my head down between my knees and held it there, his warm hand rubbing the back of my neck trying to soothe me. Somebody pressed a wet towel into my hands and I covered my face with it. "Breathe, Steph. Slow, deep breaths," Ranger murmured, still massaging my neck.

Somehow breathing seemed like an impossible task because my body refused to cooperate. I think it had forgotten how to inhale, the air kept getting stuck in my throat. It took a few tries before I could fill my lungs, but once I did, the room stopped spinning and the clanging faded away.

I raised my head cautiously and looked at Ranger sitting next to me. "Do you think Lester's right? Do you think it was really a bomb?" I asked him, watching for his reaction, hoping that he'd smile and tell me it was all only one of Lester's stupid jokes.

But no. Ranger gave me a single, barely perceptible, nod. "And it appears he's not the only one who thinks so." He tipped his head toward the TV.

I took a look at the screen and groaned. The 'Eye in the Sky' news chopper still circled over the mall parking lot giving a bird's eye view of the activity on the ground while a silicone enhanced bimbo newscaster did a running commentary.

The entire area was lit by huge spot lights that had been set up on the ground and the tops of the stores. Police helicopter search lights scanned the scene from above. Cameras zoomed in on the charred remains of at least a dozen cars, on the crowds of curious looky-loos who waved at the cameras, and on all the emergency vehicles that were jammed into the parking lot. It could have been an episode of CSI: Trenton.

The whole place was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape and the parking lot literally crawled with people in black jackets, white lettering emblazoned across the back … TFD, TPD, CSI, ATF, TFDAU, NJSP, MCSD, FBI, GOP, AAA, BYOB. Okay, so maybe not the last few, but you name it, the whole damned alphabet was there.

"With me now is Captain Arthur Golubiewski from the TPD Bomb Squad," Newscaster Barbie intoned, trying to appear serious despite her Botox frozen face. "Captain, was this a bomb?" She shoved the microphone into his face.

"It appears that an incendiary device of some sort was …" he droned.

"You mean a bomb?" Barbie interrupted.

"Well, yes, but ..." Ranger killed the sound on the TV.

"Just great! And wait until they find out this started with my car," I moaned. "I'm gonna make the front page of the Trenton Times _again. _I can see it now … 'Bombshell Bounty Hunter Goes Boom!' I can hardly wait." I had the beginnings of one hell of a headache and I dropped my head, massaging my throbbing temples.

Tank was deep in conversation on his cell phone as he walked toward us. "Good," I heard him say. "Tomorrow at two."

I sat up as he clipped his phone back onto his belt and squatted down beside me. "Okay Bombsh … uh, Steph. 911 got a call reporting a car fire at the mall," he told us. "The cops and the Fire Department showed up. The TFD thought the whole thing felt hinkey, so they called in the Arson Unit. The Arson guys requested the Bomb Squad who asked the County Sheriff to send a couple of bomb-sniffing K-9 units to check out the scene and the rest of the parking lot."

Tank patted me on the back with one of his huge paws almost knocking me off the ottoman. "The good news is that until they figure out exactly what happened, they won't be releasing the names of the vehicle owners. You're in the clear for the time being." He gave me a great big, fake smile.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Anh-hah, that's the good news, huh? So what's the _bad_ news?" I braced my hands on the edge of the ottoman and squinched my eyes shut. "Okay, let me have it!"

Tank "hmmm-ed' a little, apparently not too happy about having to tell me the bad part. "Not _bad _news, exactly. It's just that the cops, the arson investigators and the ATF all want to interview you, Lester, and Ram. I arranged to have them all come here tomorrow."

My gut told me there was something else. I opened one eye and squinted at him. "_And_ …" I prompted.

Tank cleared his throat and blew out a breath. "And … now don't kill the messenger, but from what they said, they're thinking this has all the makings of an insurance scam. They, uh, might be thinking you blew up your own car to get the insurance pay-off."

"What?" I launched off the ottoman. "Are they out of their minds? They think I tried to blow myself up?"

"Now, now. Don't worry Steph, we'll get it all straightened out." Tank stood up and slung his arm around my shoulders, giving me a bone crunching hug. "They're probably just starting with the most likely scenario first, that's all. They probably get a whole lot of people torching their own cars these days."

"Oh yeah!" Hal said, nodding like one of those bobble-head dolls. "The economy sucks so bad it's practically a national pastime!"

"You know they'll ditch that idea as soon as they figure out your POS was worthless." Junior shook his head.

"They're just looking for an easy out." Cal snorted.

I knew the guys were all trying to make me feel better. I loved the Merry Men.

Ranger came up behind me and put a hand on the back of my neck. "Okay everybody, listen up. I don't think there's any question that RangeMan needs to do its own, full scale, investigation. For obvious reasons we can't leave this up to the authorities."

He looked around at the men who had all agreed with him. "We need to determine if this attempt on Stephanie's life was personal, random, or even an attack against RangeMan in general. We need to find out the who and the why, and we need to do it fast."

"Already on that, Boss," Tank replied. "The owner of the mall's security company is an old Army buddy. I called in a favor. I sent Zero to pick up a copy of the security tapes. He should be back any minute now. That'll give us a place to start."

"Good. In the meantime, we don't want to give whoever it was an opportunity to take another crack at Steph, or any of the rest of us." He looked at Tank. "Put the building on 'alert status'."

Tank gave Ranger a single nod, pulled out his phone, and walked away to make the call.

"Stephanie, have you had any kind of trouble lately?" Ranger asked me. "Got any ideas about who might have a bone to pick with you, or who might want revenge for something in the past? Anything at all, no matter how insignificant."

The Merry Men threw out ideas, too. "You get into any fights, Chica?" Hector grinned and held up his fists.

"Any threats?" Ram asked.

"Stalkers?" Hal suggested.

"Or difficult skips?" Cal added.

"Piss anybody off?" Junior grinned at me.

"Any road rage incidents?" Bobby threw in.

"Anything weird?" Lester joined in. "Well, weirder than usual?"

I did a palms up gesture and shook my head.

"That spidey sense of yours go off?" Ranger asked. His eyebrows knit together a little when he saw my reaction to his question.

Oh crap! I gave myself a mental head slap. Yeah, it did! Just before I met Rinaldi. With all the excitement, I didn't have a chance to tell Ranger about it.

I grabbed Ranger's arm. "I need to see you for a minute. Privately." He nodded and led me into his office. "Be right back!" I said to the Merry Men, giving them a smile and a little finger wave as I closed the door.

Ranger leaned against the edge of his desk, legs stretched out, his arms and ankles crossed, watching me.

"Okay," I started. "So this comes under the heading of weird …" and I told Ranger everything about the text message from Antoine, and my conversation and meeting with Rinaldi. I didn't leave anything out, not even his questions about Joe.

When I got to the part about Rinaldi's instructions not to tell anybody about our meeting, or about Antoine's text message, Ranger didn't say a word, but a muscle in his jaw twitched.

"And when, exactly, were you going to share this with me?" he finally asked, a little chill in his voice. Ranger was not happy with me.

"I was going to tell you as soon as you got here, but I didn't have a chance. With all the excitement, you know, the car blowing up and the fire and Lester and all … _that_," I waved a hand toward the living room, "I just totally forgot."

Ranger made a 'hmm' sound and the thought crossed my mind that maybe he didn't believe me.

"That it?"

"Uh-hunh," I nodded.

Ranger walked out of the office, leaving me to trail behind him. He exchanged a few words with Tank and then addressed the troops. The eyes of every Merry Man turned to him.

"Stephanie has just provided some additional information that tips the scale in favor of this being a personal attack." Ranger gave them a brief rundown on what I'd told him. "Based on that, we will move to either confirm or rule out that suspicion." He looked around at the group of men who stood in the living room. "Since you men are all off duty, you can pick up your assignments when you clock in for your next shift. Dismissed."

There was some muttering in the group, but nobody moved to leave. Ranger looked at them, an eyebrow raised. "Problem?"

Hal took a step forward, with the help of a shove from the guys standing behind him, and stood at parade rest. He cleared his throat. "Sir, you didn't ask for volunteers," he said, receiving nods of agreement from a couple of the guys.

Ranger crossed his arms over his chest and looked at him. "Explain."

"Well, RangeMan takes care of its own and Steph's one of us," Hal stared straight ahead.

Hal's eyes flicked toward Ranger who just gave him a blank stare and poor Hal went pale. After all, he was questioning Ranger's authority. _Never_ a good thing. "We want to, um, decided that, ah … thought… maybe we should, ah … _could_ get started right away, Sir." Hal was starting to sweat now, but God love him, he forged right on. "With, um, with your permission … Sir." Hal's voice sort of trailed off and I'm pretty sure his life was flashing before his eyes.

Ranger glanced back at me, his face giving nothing away. I think he kinda liked the idea that his men considered me a part of the team. At least I hoped he did. I know it gave me a lump in my throat and I had to bite my lip to keep from tearing up. Did I say that I absolutely loved these guys?

Ranger was silent for a long time and Hal looked like he was ready to keel over. "All right then," Ranger finally said. "Let's get busy." Hal was so relieved that he giggled while a couple of the guys slapped him on the back.

Ranger started to issue orders, the Merry Men snapped to attention, and the well oiled RangeMan machine slid right into action. Bobby took off to check with RangeMan's sources in the Attorney General's office to see if either Rinaldi or Malfitano or anybody was under any kind of investigation. Zero came in holding up the mall security disc and was immediately sent to the Control Room to review it.

I didn't know how they were supposed to do it, but Junior and Ramon were in charge of tracking down Antoine and hauling him back to RangeMan. They waved at me as they left the penthouse. Hector's job was to get down to Stark Street and find out what the word on the street was. Somebody had to know something.

"Binkie," Ranger ordered. "Take Santos to the urgent care clinic and turn him over to Ella when you get back. Santos, do NOT give Ella any trouble. Ram, you go along and get checked out too." The three of them just nodded and left. No one argued when The Boss gave an order.

When Ranger gave Cal his assignment, they both turned to look at me, Cal with discomfort and Ranger with … well, I didn't know with what. Cal's job was to find out what Morelli was up to these days. Neither one of them said anything to me, but I knew what they were thinking. I just turned away and looked out the window.

It had taken me a while, but I had finally gotten to the point where whole days went by without me thinking about Joe. I hadn't seen him since that day at the courthouse. No one said anything about him, and I sure didn't ask. The pain around my heart had finally faded away and my life was moving on. Did I still want to know what went wrong? Oh, you betcha! But I was resigned to the fact that I'd probably never find out.

It was the answer to a different question that I wondered about now. Could Joe be involved somehow? Was he capable of hurting me, I mean physically? A couple of months ago I'd have laughed the idea off. Now? I really didn't know. How sad was that?

The first chance I got, I pulled Ranger into the dining room, out of sight and earshot of the small group of Merry Men who still hung around. The minute we were alone he seemed to relax a little. "I hope you know that I wasn't gonna do what Rinaldi wanted. I wasn't gonna keep quiet about Antoine and all. I'd never keep a secret like that from you," I said to him.

"I know, Steph," he said, tucking my hair behind my ear and cupping my cheek. He smiled at me, affection in his eyes. "We both know you couldn't keep a secret if your life depended on it."

"Hey!" I yelped and pulled back from him, giving him a swat on the arm. "That's insulting!"

Two of the Merry Men stuck their heads into the room. I shot them a look and they disappeared … fast. I rounded on Ranger. "I can keep a secret!" I hissed at him. "In fact, I'm one hell of a secret keeper!" The bastard just grinned at me. "I'm the best damn secret keeper you ever met!"

Okay so maybe that was overstating it a little, but a girl has to make a point, you know? I tossed my head. "You have no idea how many secrets I'm keeping!" Take that you … MAN!

"Sure I do, Babe," he said, tapping the tip of my nose with an index finger. His smile grew wider. "None."

I gasped and opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but he found the perfect way to shut me up. He swooped down and covered my mouth with his own, his hot tongue slipping between my parted lips and sliding over mine. I'm pretty sure I had a mini-orgasm on the spot. I meant to push him away, but somehow I wound up plastered against him. My arms were wrapped around his neck, my mouth fused to his and, God help me, I kissed that man back for all I was worth.

The kiss broke when we got lightheaded from lack of oxygen. We each took a step back, both of us breathless and more than a little stunned by how passionate the kiss had been. We stared at each other in shock for a few very long seconds, then literally lunged at one another like a pair of wild animals, hungry and ferocious.

Ranger grabbed me, one hand on my butt, the other fisted in my hair, pulling me hard against him. I slid my leg between his and rubbed against him like a cat in heat. My hands clawed their way up under his sweater, needing to touch his bare skin. His mouth was working on my neck and I bit his shoulder through his sweater. We practically mauled each other, stumbling back and hitting the wall with a thump.

I think we would have wound up ripping each other's clothes off and rolling around on the floor, screwing one another's brains out if Tank hadn't stepped into the dining room at exactly that moment. "Hey Ranger … Whoops!" He immediately ducked out into the hall.

Ranger pulled his mouth away from mine and took a second to clear his throat. "I'll be right there," he said. His voice was amazingly calm and controlled despite the fact that his hand was under my blouse, kneading my breast, his thumb torturing my nipple.

I was slumped against the wall, panting, little electric shocks skittering through my body. My fingernails were still curled into his bare back and I'm pretty sure I left some marks on him. I may have even drawn blood. He leaned his forehead against the arm he had braced on the wall over my head.

"Wow!" I gasped. Every muscle in my body felt weak.

"Yeah," he answered. I could hear the surprise in his voice.

"What was that?"

"Temporary insanity?"

"Unh-hunh," was all I could manage. I pulled my shaking hands out from under his sweater, smoothing the cashmere over his chest, his heart pounding under my fingers.

"I better go see what Tank wants," he murmured, his lips pressed against my forehead. He pushed off the wall and helped me straighten my bra and blouse. "You okay?" His fingertips stroked my cheek.

"Fine," I mumbled, still shaken.

I reached up and ran the pad of my thumb across his bottom lip, then held it up for him to see. He licked his lips and smiled, then pulled out a perfectly ironed linen handkerchief to wipe my Cherry Crush lip gloss off his mouth before he went out to talk to Tank.

It took a couple of minutes for me to catch my breath and collect myself. When I was able to walk without staggering, I went back to the living room. Plopping down on the couch, I tried to figure out what the hell had just happened. I mean, what had made us lose control like that this time?

Sure there had always been this sexual tension and attraction between us. We'd only really been together twice. The first time had been his idea, the second time was mine. A couple of times we'd jumped one another, but I could never figure out why. It was like something would snap in both of us.

Maybe my revenge plot wasn't such a hot idea after all? Maybe I should retrieve that teeny tiny little black lace thong that had 'accidentally' found its way into his underwear drawer. Maybe I should toss that Pleasure Treasures bag into the trash before he saw it.

I mean, you could only tug a tiger by the tail so many times before it'd turn around and _eat_ you, right? Hmmm, eat me. Well, _that _thought made me smile. Ohhhh! Bad Stephanie!

I was still sitting there, chewing on my lip, trying to decide how far I could push Ranger, _if_ I should push him, when the man in question came back into the living room with Tank. They made a bee line over to me. Ranger was all business again, apparently having completely forgotten about our little interlude in the dining room.

'The Boss' sat down on the ottoman, facing me. "Here's the drill," he began. "Like it or not, until we identify the threat and eliminate it, you're going to have to take extra precautions. The building has been placed on alert and Tank is arranging a security detail for you," he continued. "You will …"

"Whoa!" I cut him off. "Not gonna happen!" I told him.

Ranger totally ignored me, continuing on as if I hadn't said a word. "One, you will carry the tracker and panic button on your person at all times. Two," he ticked each point off on his fingers. "You will wear your _loaded_ gun on your hip 24/7. Three, you will inform Tank, me, _and_ the Control Room personnel of your itinerary whenever you leave RangeMan. You will not vary from that itinerary. Four, under no circumstances will you leave this building unaccompanied by at least two of the men. One will be with you, and the other will be in a chase vehicle. Is that understood?"

I could feel my hackles raise and my blood pressure skyrocket. I couldn't believe that ten minutes ago I wanted to straddle him and ride him like a circus pony. Now I wanted to straddle him, all right, but just so I could get a better grip on his throat while I strangled him!

When I didn't answer him he arched that damned eyebrow and snapped, "Well?"

I tried to arch an eyebrow right back, but that didn't work, so I shot him a snappy salute and a snotty, "Sir! No, sir!" instead.

Ranger gave me a look that said I was testing his patience. I gave him a look that said he was acting like an overbearing jerk. If he thought that just because he'd had his tongue stuck down my throat, I'd follow his orders like they came down from the Mount under Moses' arm, engraved on tablets by God Himself, oh boy, did Ranger have another thing coming!

"No bodyguards, no chase cars, no security detail." I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back against the sofa. He wanted to be a hard ass? So could I. Granted, Ranger had Buns of Steel and I had buns of … Tastykakes, but that was beside the point.

Ranger stiffened, and not in a good way. I guess he didn't like having his authority questioned, but he was trying to run rough shod over me. So tough!

"Stephanie …" he barked in that 'Commanding Officer' voice of his; the one that said he would 'brook no insubordination' from his men.

All the Merry Man turned to look and then the whole group started to ease toward the door. Cowards. They were more than willing to face bombers and stalkers and nut cases to protect me, but let Ranger be involved and they headed for the hills. So much for me being part of the team.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught Tank rolling his eyes and shaking his head at the ceiling. Probably he thought Ranger was being insufferable too. Or me, maybe. Whatever.

I held up one finger. No, not the middle one. "My turn." I leaned toward him to prove that he didn't scare me … much. "Not that I don't appreciate everything you've done for me, but I seem to recall back when I was hiding out here from the Slayers you made a point of telling me that you bled money every time I needed protection. You made it perfectly clear that you couldn't justify security for me. Now you've got bodyguards and alerts and investigations. I don't get it."

A flash of something that looked a lot like anger crossed his face, not good either, and he stood up, looming over me. Uh-oh!

"We need to talk!" he ground out through clinched teeth.

Taking hold of my arm, he yanked me up off the couch and hauled me into the bedroom, practically slamming the door behind us. He grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and spun me around to face him, then just as quickly he held his hands up, and took a step back.

He just stood there with his feet spread, hands on hips, scowling. This was the look that made grown men pee their pants. He'd never looked at me like that before and I had to admit that a little curl of fear wound around in my gut.

"I don't know what it is about you, Stephanie. You have a talent. You can make me go from wanting to kiss you to wanting to kill you in a heartbeat."

Well, that sure sounded familiar. "Believe me, the feeling is mutual!" I practically snarled back at him. We'd been down _this_ road before.

Ranger cut his eyes to me and I swear to God he growled. No blank face this time, and I realized pretty quickly that, discretion being the better part of valor, I should have kept my mouth shut for a change. Of course, I never had before, so why start now? Right? Anyhow, I swallowed hard and edged away from him a little.

Ranger closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and blew it out through his nose again. It looked like he was struggling to control himself, probably to keep from strangling me. I took another step away from him, just in case he couldn't find that Zen state of his.

"You were right," he said, his voice still tight when he finally spoke. "I did tell you that there was no _monetary_ way to justify your security." He snapped his eyes up to mine. "But that never stopped me from making sure you were safe, did it?"

"No. You …" I started, but he cut me off.

"Do you honestly think that I ever let money stand in the way of your safety? Didn't I always drop everything and show up whenever you called me?" he demanded, taking a step closer. "Wasn't I always there when you needed me?"

"Yes. But …" I tried again. He took another step closer and I took another step back.

"For a long time all I could offer you was monetary support … cars, jobs, back-up, protection," he bit off the words. "I took care of you in the only way I knew how, but I _always_ took care of you!"

"Yes, you did," I agreed. "Always! You've bailed my butt out of trouble and rescued me more times than I can count. You've let me trash your cars and damage your men. You've always supported me, encouraged me, backed me up. I guess I don't tell you enough how much I appreciated your help."

Ranger made a sort of strangled sound, "I don't want your _appreciation_, Stephanie!"

"Oh, yeah … well … no, of course not. I'm still a tax write off," I said. "I mean, you told me I was a line item in your budget, that I was a business expense, so I guess that's how you off-set the cost of everything you've done for me." I shrugged my shoulders, a little hurt at being reduced to a tax deduction.

His damned blank face slid into place. "Entertainment," he said flatly. "I told you I had you listed under entertainment."

"Yeah." I dropped my eyes from his. "You said I was comedy relief for the entire team. I'd almost forgotten that," I said sourly. "Thanks _so much_ for reminding me." Boy, talk about being put in my place. I needed to get out of there.

I edged toward the door. I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get off of the emotional rollercoaster ride I was on.

Ranger ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "Oh hell, Stephanie!" He stepped in front of me, blocking my way to the door. "Just how amusing do you think you are that I'd be willing to bleed money for you based on your entertainment value alone?" He didn't sound angry any more, exasperated maybe, but not angry. I had the feeling that he was trying to tell me something and I just wasn't getting it.

He looped his arms around my waist, pulling me against him so that, for the second time today, we were flush from waist to knees. I kept my hands on his chest, just to keep a little breathing room.

He arched that damned eyebrow at me again. "Just in case you've forgotten, on more than one occasion, I've bled honest to God blood for you, too. You think I'd do that for a line item in my budget? Jesus, woman, what does it take to get through to you?"

I groaned and dropped my forehead against his shoulder. I felt like an ungrateful bitch, taking all his help for granted. Bleeding money was one thing; bleeding blood was something else entirely. The very first time Ranger ever helped me out with a skip, he got shot in the leg. Then there was the time he came with me to rescue Mooner and Dougie, he got shot then too. And yet, he still kept coming back to help me.

Nothing ever stopped him from being there whenever I needed him. He'd never told me he was too busy to help me, never told me I should go save my own ass. He had faced Scrog to save Julie, and me, too. I wrapped my arms around him and lifted my head from his shoulder.

"I told you that there was no price for what we gave one another, financially or emotionally." He pressed his lips against my forehead. "That's not entirely true. I'm _not_ emotionally distanced from _you_. That changes things."

"Is that a sort of backwards way of saying you're emotionally attached to me?" I asked, surprised at the turn our little talk had taken.

"It looks that way. So I have to make every effort to keep you safe." He brushed his lips over my forehead again.

"You're a little smothering."

"Deal with it." He tightened his arms around me. "Put up with the security detail. Do it for me."

It was my turn to scowl. I stared at the middle of his chest and just didn't say anything.

He was silent for a long minute. "Please," he said so softly it was barely a whisper.

Well shit! He just had to go pull out the big guns, didn't he? The first time I actually said no to him and he had to play dirty and pull that damn 'Please' card. It was just _so_ not the way I thought this would go.

"Okay," I sulked. "But I don't have to like it."

He tipped my chin up so I'd look at him. "That's fair," he said and kissed me softly but thoroughly.

"You better go fix your lipstick," he turned me and pointed me toward the bathroom and gave me a playful swat on the butt. "We have a dinner date with your family."

Oh crap! I'd forgotten all about my mother. She'd have a cow if we were late and dinner got ruined. I'd never be forgiven for embarrassing her in front of Ranger. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it so I could read his watch. "Oh my God! We have to hurry!" We only had thirty minutes before we were supposed to belly up to the dinner table!

Ranger looked at me and shook his head. "You're more afraid of your mother than you are of a death threat, aren't you?

"Hey! My mother's pineapple upside-down cake gives her a lot of power to wield over my life," I said over my shoulder as I headed for the bathroom mirror. "Dessert is absolutely essential to my health, happiness, and well being. For crying out loud! It's the base of my food pyramid," I said seriously.

"The base, huh?" The corners of his mouth quirked up a little and I pretended not to notice how he was looking at me. I'm pretty sure he was thinking about that little 'dessert' conversation we'd had a while back.

"_Just out of morbid curiosity, how would you define your role in my life?" I'd asked him._

"_I'm dessert," he said._

"_Something that gives me pleasure, but isn't especially good for me?"_

"_Something that could never be the base of you__r food pyramid."_

_See, here's where I was in trouble. Dessert was the base of my food pyramid. _So now me and my big mouth had just told Ranger how _I _defined his role in my life. Oh boy!

He gave me a half smile. "Don't worry," he said as he put an arm around my waist and patted my hip. "If we're late, I'll be happy to provide dessert."

"Pineapple upside-down cake?" I asked hopefully.

He grinned at me. "I was thinking more along the lines of … pie."

I felt the red flush start at my toes and work its way upwards and hustled into the bathroom to fix my makeup. I was entertainment and he was dessert. We made one hell of a pair!

When I came out of the bathroom, Ranger was standing by the bench at the foot of the bed, holding the Pleasure Treasures bag. He cut his eyes to me. "You must really like that store. You keep going back. What did you buy?"

"That's none of you business," I said primly.

Ranger picked up the bag, looked inside, and pulled out the sales receipt.

"_No!_" I yelled. "Give me that. It's private!"

"Not anymore." He unfolded the paper.

I narrowed my eyes and held out my hand. "Give me that!"

"I don't think so. Let's see what you bought." I tried to snatch the paper away from him, but he swung it away, out of my reach. "Anh-anh-anh! Let's not be grabby."

He held it at arm's length up over his head and started to read. "Herbert Horsecock?" he chuckled. "Did you wear out your Lady Workhorse or is this an upgrade?" He grinned at me. I glared at him.

"You're going to torture me with this, aren't you?" I said.

"Oh yeah!" he said and turned back to the receipt. "This holds more interest for me. Lick Me Body Oil." He smiled, all dark and sexy. "Where is it?"

I blew out a long sigh and went over to the night table, opened the drawer and got out the bottle. I held it up between my thumb and index finger to show him. He held out his hand for it. I rolled my eyes and tossed it to him.

He opened the bottle, poured a drop into the palm of my hand and rubbed it with his fingertip. "What do you think?"

"It's warm!"

"It says on the bottle it tastes like cherries."

He touched his tongue to my oiled palm, and I felt myself go damp, and I worried my knees might buckle. I was playing with fire here and I was about to go up in flames.

"W-w-well?" I asked.

"Cherries," he breathed and ran the tip of his tongue over my palm again. My eyes almost rolled back in my head.

"Um, I think we better go now!" my voice still not too steady. "We don't wanna be late!" But he wasn't listening to me. He'd already turned back to the receipt.

"Just a minute," he said, holding up a finger. "Let's see, where were we. Horsecock, body oil, ahh, here we go. Crotch … _Crotchless panties?_" Okay, so that one really got him. His arm dropped as he looked at me with as close to shock as he ever registered.

I swear his nostrils flared and his black eyes slid down, down, down my body to you know where. "Are you wearing them now?" His voice got all deep and husky.

"Don't be silly," I squeaked and swallowed hard. "They're only worn with a skirt." I reached over and plucked the receipt out of his hand, ducking into the dressing room as fast as I could to grab my coat.

"Hurry up, we're gonna be late!" I said brightly and hurried toward the bedroom door, breathing a sigh of relief that this little game was finally over. I stopped with my hand on the door knob and looked back at Ranger. "By the way," I said as I glanced down at his crotch and waved a finger in that direction. "Your pants are pointing again." I managed not to crack up until I got out of the bedroom.

Phase one of Operation Revenge had worked perfectly. Score one for me, even if I was beginning to think this revenge thing was going to be a lot harder on me than on him.

Seventeen minutes later, Ranger pulled the Turbo smoothly to the curb in front of my parents' house, parking behind Val and Albert's mini van. As promised, we were right on time for dinner. I looked up at the porch where my mother was standing behind the glass storm door, her Burg radar having alerted her to our arrival.

"You know," I said with a deep sigh as I sent Mom a little finger wave, "it's still not too late for you to escape. I could tell my mother that you had an emergency or had to race off to save the world or something."

"Are there actually any excuses that would make her forgive you for skipping out on dinner?" Ranger asked as he unbuckled his seat belt.

"Oh sure," I said dryly. "But I'd have to be dead or eloping. Either one would get me off the hook. And then she'd still get to play hostess … for the funeral or the reception."

Ranger chuckled. "I think it'll just be easier to go inside and get this over with," he said philosophically.

I knew he was right, but still, I had no idea how my mother would react once she found out that I was living at RangeMan. When I was living with Joe, Mom was always shoving me toward the altar. Okay, so maybe it was really only gentle nudging, but I was afraid she'd start it again. Oh God! Maybe she'd even start dropping hints to Ranger. I think I whimpered.

Ranger snorted a laugh. "Stephanie, relax. Everything will be fine." He got out of the car and came around to open my door.

Personally, I've always believed that it's better to be pessimistic and be surprised, than optimistic and be disappointed. And honestly, this was the Plum Family Circus we were talking about! What were the odds of this dinner going smoothly?

"Please tell me that you don't really believe that," I sighed again as he took my hand and helped me out onto the sidewalk. "I'm the one who lives in denial. I'd hate to think it was contagious."

I noticed the big black SUV idling down the block on the other side of the street. The chase car, I presumed and looked at Ranger with raised eyebrows. "Where you go, they go." He put a hand on my back and steered me up to the front door.

My mother held the front door open for us and practically knocked me down the steps in her efforts to get Ranger inside. He smiled and took her outstretched hand in both of his and I swear to God, her eyes glazed over. I didn't think she even realized that I was there! I took our coats, hung them in the foyer closet and waited for the Mom/Ranger mutual admiration society meeting to adjourn. Yeesh!

Standing there, it struck me that the house was silent. There was no TV blaring, no Lisa crying, no horse galloping, no pots banging in the kitchen, no Albert nannering on and on. It was bizarre.

There wasn't even music playing; the house was dead quiet. Never, in the history of this family, had this house ever been quiet. Even in the middle of the night there was noise, snoring, a radio, a toilet flushing … something.

Oddly, my very first thought was that my mother had finally gone over the edge and had bumped off my dad, my grandma, and all the Kloughns. I had visions of bodies in trash bags, neatly stacked in the back yard next to the trash cans, waiting to be put out at the curb for the garbage men on Monday morning.

"Mom …" My voice shook a little. "What's going on? Is everybody al… okay?" I almost slipped and said 'alive'.

My mother looked at me funny. "Of course, dear, why do you ask?"

"It's so quiet in here. Where is everybody?" I was seriously creeped out.

My mother gave me a blissful smile. "In the dining room. They're all at the table … waiting for you."

I took a deep breath and peeked into the dining room. Sure enough, they were all seated at the table, alive and well. I breathed a sigh of relief and waved at them.

Grandma Mazur caught sight of me and waved back but didn't say anything, just held a finger to her lips. Val was feeding Lisa one Cheerio at a time and glancing at Albert, who sat with his lips pressed shut and his hands folded on the edge of the table. Angie was reading, Mary Alice was coloring, and my father just stared at his empty plate. Thank God!

"How did you get everyone to be so quiet?" I asked my mother, the miracle worker, in awe.

"I threatened them, of course."

I smiled at her. "With what, a gun?" I joked.

"Well, sort of." She pulled a little pink stun gun out of her apron pocket. "Your grandmother bought this on e-bay and I had to confiscate it after she threatened to zap your father so she could get into the bathroom first."

"You threatened the kids with a _stun gun_?" I was horrified.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, dear. I threatened the children with no dessert." She sighed. "I did have to prove to Albert that I meant business, though." Mom hit the button and electricity arced between the little poles. It made a little 'tzzzzzd' noise and Albert almost hit the ceiling. She gave me a one shoulder shrug and a little smile. "But he hasn't said a word since he came to."

I looked at Ranger who was standing right behind me, his lips twitching, the Ranger equivalent of roaring with laughter.

"Well, come on," my mother said cheerfully. "Let's eat while it's hot."

Ranger and I went the table, and Mom and Grandma went into the kitchen to get the food.

My father actually stood up and shook Ranger's hand. "Thank you for helping Ellen out the other day. I really appreciate it," my dad said to him.

"My pleasure, Mr. Plum," Ranger said as he took his seat.

I looked at Ranger. "Did I miss something?"

My mother came out of the kitchen and put a platter of perfectly baked chicken breasts on the table. "Oh, I ran into Philadelphia last week and just made it back across the river when I had a flat. I stopped and was about to call Triple A when a big black SUV pulled over behind me and Carlos got out." My mother beamed at him. "He left a man there to change the tire and he took me to lunch. We had a lovely chat and by the time I got home, my car was back here."

I narrowed my eyes at Ranger. "You always go around picking up strange women on the side of the road?"

"The only strange woman I've ever picked up on the side of the road was you, Babe, in that old Crown Vic with the bullet hole in the read window and the squirrel bomb crud on the dash." He turned to my mother. "Dinner looks delicious, Mrs. Plum." My mother blushed. I rolled my eyes. What a suck up!

I picked up a pretty floral centerpiece, taking it off the table to make room for the food. "These flowers are beautiful, Mom," I said, sniffing the arrangement. I figured she had gone all out to impress Ranger.

My mother practically preened. "Carlos sent them, and the wine, too."

"Well, isn't Carlos thoughtful?" I chirped, wondering why the hell his was laying it on so thick.

Each piece of the chicken had a thin slice of lemon and fresh bay leaves under the skin; the platter was decorated with sliced lemons and little bouquets of parsley. It was accompanied by a huge salad that had little broccoli and cauliflower trees, tiny grape tomatoes, and all the rest of the Shop-Rite produce department in it. Rice pilaf, roasted veggies, homemade cranberry-orange relish, biscuits, and of course, the obligatory vat of gravy filled every available spot on the table. My mother had been watching The Food Network Channel again.

The wine was poured and we filled out plates, my father eyed the rice suspiciously, but once he drowned it in gravy, he dug right in. We all made polite dinner table conversation, Albert looking to my mother for an okay before he said anything. It was like having a meal with the Stepford Family.

I figured that the perfect time to drop the news about my living arrangements was when Mom and Grandma were busy clearing the table and getting dessert. I just blurted out, "The lease was up on my apartment and I had to get out fast so I'm staying at RangeMan until I can find a new place," and waited for the crap to hit the fan.

"Oh, that's nice dear," my mother said, putting a big slice of pineapple upside-down cake and whipped cream in front of me. "You won't have to worry about all those crazies breaking in anymore. Who wants coffee?"

My father had a plate of Italian cookies in front of him and a cup of coffee. "Crazies?"

"You don't want to know," I told him. "Eat your cookies. Enjoy your coffee."

Dad looked from his plate to Ranger and back again. "He's not gonna try to steal my cookies like that Italian Stallion used to, is he?" my father whispered to me.

My dad did not share his cookies. I shook my head. "Ranger doesn't eat sweets."

Dad broke out in a huge smile and held his plate out to Ranger, "Cookie?"

By the time we waved good-bye to the family, I was stuffed. My mother had even gotten Ranger to eat dessert. Well, it was fresh fruit topped with Greek yogurt. Of course dessert had to contain sugar and fat so that stuff didn't even qualify as dessert in my book. But what the heck, he seemed to enjoy it and my mother was tickled pink.

I'd been careful not to mention anything about my car blowing up at Quakerbridge Mall. That was need to know information, and my family really didn't need to know anything about it. At least not yet.

We were met back at RangeMan by Zero, who had watched the mall security videos. He had extracted a section that showed a big, unmarked panel truck driving up and down the aisle where I was parked, finally pulling up behind my car. Three men dressed alike in hooded sweatshirts pulled low over their faces, jeans, boots and gloves, hopped out and popped the hood of the RAV. Unfortunately, we couldn't see what they were doing, or make out any details that would help us identify them. Well crap.

Ranger had a copy of the footage hand-carried to some high tech video lab that could work enhancement and facial recognition miracles like the CSI shows do. As of now, there was nothing to go on but the truck.

"From this angle, we can't see the license plates. Tank got it touch with his buddy and they'll have copies of all the security tapes from all the entrances for us in the morning. With any luck, that'll give us something. But I'll bet you big bucks that the truck and the plates were both stolen," Zero said to Ranger. And Ranger agreed with him.

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they never even noticed that I left. I went upstairs, said good night to Rex, dropped my clothes and fell, face first, into bed.

I slept like a rock, in fact I slept right through breakfast. I heard Ranger's voice in the kitchen when I finally rolled out of bed and trundled down the hall in search of coffee. I thought he was on the phone until I peeked through the kitchen archway. I was wrong, he was talking to Rex.

Rex was sitting up, his whiskers twirling, looking like he was hanging on Ranger's every word as he picked out the Cheeze Doodles that I had dropped into the cage last night on my way to bed. "That stuff is gonna kill you, little buddy. Try this instead." I watched as he took a couple of grapes and a little carrot and dropped them into Rex's dish. Rex grabbed the carrot and Ranger saluted him with his coffee cup.

"Male bonding?" I asked when Ranger spotted me.

"Yeah. We were just about to hug and talk about our feelings, but you interrupted us," Ranger quipped.

I snorted and headed for the coffee. I was reaching up into the cabinet for a mug, Ranger said, "What are you wearing?"

"What's the matter?" I turned around to face him, held out my arms and looked down at myself. I had on my comfy, faded flannel jammies, his big fluffy robe that just about reached the floor, and of course, my great big, brown, bear feet slippers, claws and all. Oh, and my Glock, the holster clipped to the belt of the robe.

"The gun seems a bit much." Ranger quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Well, you said I was supposed to wear it on my hip 24/7." I batted my eyes at him innocently. "I was just trying to follow orders."

He grinned down at me. "And this is why I love you." He kissed me on the top of the head and pulled me into his arms. I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed.

_I wish_, I thought. _I really wish you did, 'cause… boy oh boy… if I let myself, could I ever love you back!_

Oh, this was better than coffee, so I wrapped my arms around his waist and snuggled into him.

Ranger's phone rang, dammit, and he pulled it off his belt. He took a look at the caller ID, his eyes widening marginally, and he turned the phone so I could see who was calling.

Rinaldi!

Oh shit!

TBC …

A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry this took so long to post. The Muse is gone, real life is nuts, and I have a terminal case of Spring fever. I'm also having a bout with separation anxiety over ending Love… after all, I've lived with it for so long.

One of the lines in 'If I Fell In Love With You', the Beatles classic, is: …_So I hope you see, that I would love to love you… _Do you think that's how Steph feels? Do you think she's afraid to let herself love Ranger because she's afraid he doesn't love her back? Do you think he's trying to tell her and she's just not hearing it?

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. I tried to reply to every review, email, PM, IM and comment. I apologize if I missed you.

Stayce


	29. Love Happens!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, Quotes from all 16 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, to Sue for the medical information, to Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, to Miranda for the Edit, Comma Addiction, and Hyphen Fascination, as well as friendship and encouragement and letting me rant, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

**For Stephanie, I couldn't resist:**

'**Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.'**

_**Charlie Brown in "Peanuts"**_

**Charles M. Schulz****(****1922 - 2000)**

**For the Chapter:**

**Do you love me? **

**I think so.**

**Do I love you?**

**I hope so.**

**Anonymous**

Chapter 29: Love Happens!

Ranger flipped his phone open, pressed his finger to his lips in a 'shhhh' signal, and hit the 'speaker' button. "Manoso."

"Mr. Manoso, this is Detective Rinaldi, with the Attorney General's office."

"Yes, Detective. What can I do for you?" Ranger said smoothly.

"I'm trying to locate Stephanie Plum. I just read the report about yesterday's incident at the mall involving her vehicle. I've left her several text messages and voice mails, but she hasn't responded. I'm trying to find out if she's all right."

"So far as I know, Stephanie is just fine." Ranger ran his hand up and down my back.

"Good, good." He sounded relieved. There was a long silence on Rinaldi's part, like he was trying to decide what to say. "Let me get right to the point. I understand that you have a … personal … interest, in Ms. Plum."

I glanced up at Ranger, looking for his reaction to that, but his blank face was firmly in place and he wasn't giving away anything.

"And if I do?"

"I have reason to believe that she is in imminent danger, and I'd like to enlist your help in keeping her safe."

"What, exactly, would I be keeping her safe _from, _Detective?" Ranger sounded cool, calm, and unconcerned.

I could hear Rinaldi blow out a long breath. "Look, it's imperative that I speak with her as soon as possible, and once I do, I'll be in a position to fill you in on everything I know."

I watched Ranger chew that over, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "All right, Detective. Stephanie will be meeting with members of the ATF, TPD, and Arson Unit today, here at RangeMan. If you would care to speak with her here, and she agrees, I'll make a conference room available to you. Say four o'clock?"

"I'll be there."

Ranger closed his phone and put it back on his belt. "Well," he said as he picked up the carafe and filled my coffee mug for me. "That was interesting."

"Umm," I said and took a swig of coffee, waiting for the caffeine to hit my brain. "But you want to explain why can't I just call Rinaldi or go see him? Why have him come here?"

"There are a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that I don't trust him, or _anyone_, connected with this whole mess. There's no way I'm giving anybody an opportunity to get you alone." He reached out and hooked a finger in the belt of my robe, well, _his _robe, and pulled me up against his chest. "I told you that I can't let anything happen to you."

I leaned my head against his shoulder and batted my eyelashes up at him. "Awwwww, my hero," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

He smiled and shook his head at me. "Smart ass!" He bent and kissed the tip of my nose then let go of the belt.

"So you really think Rinaldi's involved?" I asked as we sipped our coffee.

Ranger blew out a deep breath. "I think we've eliminated the possibility that it was some kind of strange coincidence that the bomb was planted in _your_ vehicle." Ranger shot me one of those 'you're not going to argue with me about this' looks. I shrugged. "That means you were specifically targeted, so whoever did the targeting had to know where to find you." He cocked that damned eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. As much as I hate to admit it, you're probably right," I said with a sigh. After all, I liked Rinaldi and I didn't want him to be the one who'd tried to turn me into Crispy Critters.

"It would have been very easy for Rinaldi to access your vehicle registration, get your plate numbers, and sic somebody on you. Right now, since he was the only one who knew exactly where you were going to be, he's the most logical candidate."

"Yeah, I guess. But anybody who can access Motor Vehicle records could do the same thing, right? I mean, _somebody_ framed Joe, maybe that same somebody's trying to set up Rinaldi, too!"

"At this point, anything's possible. Just don't trust him because you think he's a nice guy." He topped off my coffee for me. "You have great instincts, Steph. Unleash that spidey sense of yours and let it work for you. Try to get a real read on Rinaldi today."

I cut my eyes to Ranger to see if he was making fun of my spidey sense, but he was dead serious. "Okay," I said and blew out another sigh. "I'll try to forget that I like him and see if I can look at him as a threat."

"Good girl!" He slung an arm around my shoulders, pulled me close and kissed me on the top of the head. "Tell you what," Ranger looked up at the kitchen clock. "We missed breakfast. You've got to be hungry. Go get dressed, and I'll take you out and feed you."

"Okie-dokie. Give me thirty minutes." Food sounded really good, so I took my coffee cup and headed down the hall toward the bedroom.

Ranger stuck his head out of the kitchen and called after me. "And Steph, you don't need to wear your gun in the shower. It'd probably prefer a little gun oil to the soap and water," he said very seriously.

Jeez! Like I'd really do that! I turned around with my hand on my hip and gave him a snotty smile. "And here I thought you always washed your big gun in the shower," I tossed back at him with as much sarcasm as I could muster. The words were no sooner out of my mouth when I realized that I'd set myself up. I heard Ranger bark out a laugh, and I squinched my eyes shut and dropped my chin to my chest.

Ranger leaned through the kitchen doorway again and gave me a full-on, high-wattage smile. "Oh, I do, Babe. But if you'd care to oil _my _big gun, that cherry-flavored stuff would work just fine!" Ranger humor! Har-dee-har-har!

I let out a huge groan and shook my head at the ceiling. "MEN!" I yelled at him. "You all have one-track minds." He was still laughing when I closed the bedroom door.

I showered and shaved and shampooed, and all that good stuff, blow-dried my hair as straight and smooth as I could get it, and pulled it up into a pony tail. I went extra light on the makeup, deciding that for my 'interviews', I'd go with the 'girl next door' look.

Hey, if I could 'slut up' for distractions, I could go just as far in the opposite direction to look like a wide-eyed innocent, right? After all, makeup was an art form for a Jersey Girl, and I was an arteest, thankyouverymuch. And if I do say so myself, I looked pretty damned good!

Hoping that I could set up Mr. Smarty Pants for another little revenge zinger, I purposely took longer than the half hour I told him I needed. I was killing time in the dressing room, hoping he'd come looking for me, and I was just about to give up when he _finally _knocked on the bedroom door.

"Steph, you ready yet?" he called. I didn't answer.

He knocked again and I just kept quiet, waiting for him to come into the bedroom. I heard the door open and Ranger said, "Steph?"

It was 'Show Time'! I had my hands behind my back, in the process of hooking my bra, when I stepped out of the dressing room and headed for the bed where I'd laid out my clothes.

I was halfway across the room when I 'saw' him and froze. "Oh! I…" I let my voice trail away.

I heard his sharp intake of breath and could feel his eyes rake my body. He scanned me, from my pony tail to the pale pink satin scallop shell bra and matching bikini panties, all the way down to my pink painted toe nails. He surprised me by letting out a long, low wolf whistle that would have done Lester proud.

Ranger lounged back against the door frame and folded his arms over his chest, obviously enjoying the view. A slow grin crossed his face, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. "You could pass for jail bait, Steph … from the neck up."

O-kay! Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? I narrowed my eyes at him. "And from the neck _down_?" I asked, the warning in my voice very clear.

His grin turned wolfish. "From the neck down, you would be the Devil's own temptation," he drawled, and he let his gaze slide over my body again. Oh brother! Make that grin _Big Bad_ Wolf-ish!

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Thanks, but since you're the Devil in question, probably you should leave." Of course, he didn't. Without taking his eyes off my bare legs he just shook his head 'no'.

"You know that old saying about the Devil getting his due. Someday …" He didn't need to finish the sentence, I knew what he was going to say. My heart fluttered in my chest.

"Aw, come on," I pleaded. "Just get out of here so I can finish getting dressed, and then we can go eat. I'm _starving_," I said.

"So am I," he said slowly, his eyes on my pink panties.

"You're _hungry_?"

"Ravenous." He raised his eyes, hot and hooded, to mine and gave me a slow, sexy smile that sent a little thrill through me. We both knew he wasn't talking about food.

My eyes rolled so far back in my head that I thought they'd spin all the way around. "That's not hungry," I scoffed. "That's _horny_!"

"Aaahhh, tomato, tomah-to. Same difference," he said, still smiling.

I still had my arms twisted behind my back and Ranger watched in amusement as I pretended to struggle to hook the uncooperative bra. I didn't want him to get suspicious and guess that I was playing him, so I just scowled and gave up fighting with the bra.

I let go of the clasp, clamped my arms tightly to my sides and folded them under my boobs, holding the unhooked bra in place that way, and gave him a pissy face.

I glared at him, he grinned at me. It was a stand-off. I'll admit that I was pretty pleased with myself. I was one hell of an actress, and this revenge thing was going a whole lot better than I thought it would. And best of all, Ranger didn't have a _clue _that this was a set-up.

But I really was hungry, and it was time to bring down the curtain on this episode of _Revenge of the Jersey Girl_. "Okay, fine!" I snorted. "If you won't leave, I will!" I tossed my head, did an about face, and marched back toward the dressing room.

He smiled as if he knew what I'd been thinking. "Okay, I'm going. But let me do that for you first," he said, crossing the room and gently pulling me against his chest. The second he touched me I could feel the 'tzzit' of the neuron transmitters in my brain starting to short circuit. Oh, this was so not good!

He smoothed his hands slowly over my bare back, took the sides of the bra and expertly hooked it. The bra straps had slipped down my arms and Ranger slid his fingers under the strips of satin and then up my arms, slowly lifting the straps back into place. Tzzit! Oh boy! Was I ever in trouble here!

"There," he said softly. He looked down at me for a few long seconds before he bent to brush his lips back and forth over my shoulder, tasting me with the tip of his tongue. Tzzit! Tzzit! Tzzit! If he hadn't been holding me, I'm pretty sure my knees would have given out, and I'd have wound up on the floor.

He touched his lips against the side of my neck and laughed, low and sexy, when I squirmed under his mouth. His hands drifted over my shoulders and arms, down my back to cup my butt and pull me against him. I heard somebody whimper. I'm pretty sure it was me.

"You have such soft, smooth skin," he murmured, bringing his hands up over my shoulders to circle my throat and toy with the curly tendrils that had escaped my pony tail. His fingers trailed down to tease my collarbones, his touch so light that I shivered.

Everywhere he touched, he set a fire and my skin tingled, my nipples hardened, and a low level hum started somewhere south of my belly button as all those sexually deprived Hungarian hormones came to life.

I held my breath while he ran a finger along the scalloped edge of the bra. "Pretty," he said, his voice thick and rough. But when his fingers drifted over the swell of my breasts and he whispered, "Beautiful," all my stomach muscles clinched, my mouth went dry, my pretty pink panties went damp, and that hum in my belly revved up a couple of notches.

I tipped my head back and closed my eyes, waiting, breathless, to feel his mouth pressed to my already parted lips. I waited all right, but all I felt was my inner Jersey Girl smack me upside of the head.

"_What the hell is the matter with you?"_ Her nasal whine echoed in my head, and my eyes popped open. _"You're supposed to be getting revenge against him for setting you up! You're supposed to be making HIM suffer, not yourself, Dummy! Get away from him before you screw everything up!" _

Yikes! If this was my voice of reason, I was in big trouble here. Oh, just _HELL_!

I took a shaky breath. "Someday," I whispered, using Ranger's own line against him a split second before his mouth touched mine. I forced myself to push away from him and sort of stumbled toward the dressing room.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as close to a sigh as Ranger allowed himself. "Considering everything that we've packed into it, that Someday's gonna be one hell of a busy day," he said to my back.

I stopped in the doorway to look back over my shoulder at him, still a little weak-kneed. "Well, be sure to let me know if and when Someday's gonna happen. Just so I can clear my social calendar," I said, trying to sound flip.

He gave me a look I couldn't quite read. "That's not my call, Stephanie. The if and the when won't be my decision." And he turned and walked out of the bedroom, leaving me staring after him.

Oh boy!

We wound up at a steakhouse outside of Trenton that was known for its wonderful food and its huge floor to ceiling stone fireplace. It should have been known for its man-eater hostess, too. I had her pegged the minute I laid eyes on her. She was a blue-eyed, blonde knockout who took one look at Ranger and put him on her personal menu under prime cuts of beefcake.

She was a piece of work, all right. Shoulders back, boobs out, her eyes fixed on his, she sauntered over, put a hand on his arm and looked up at him through her lashes. Blondie purred to Ranger, "_You_ can have the best seat in the house. Let me show it to you." And the bitch did.

She led us through the dining room swinging her ass so hard I was surprised she didn't throw her back out. I cut my eyes to Ranger, but he was looking straight ahead, his lips tipped up into his 'almost smile'. Hmmm.

Blondie seated us, well, she seated Ranger, at a table right in front of the blazing fire, and it hit me that this was probably the first time I had ever been anywhere with Ranger or the Merry Men that we weren't sitting in a back booth in a dark corner. I kept watching Ranger, waiting for him to say something to her, to ask for a different table so he could sit with his back to the wall.

But no, he just looked at the menu she opened and put in his hand. Mine she just tossed on the table. I might as well have been invisible.

A waiter came with a basket of hot bread and honey butter. Blondie waved the guy off and told Ranger that she was going to give him her _personal _attention. She took the napkin off Ranger's plate, unfolded it, and bent to put it in his lap, flashing her cleavage in his face. I fought the urge to snarl at her.

The bitch turned her back on me, cocked a hip against the edge of the table and recited the daily specials for Ranger. I watched her reach out and brush a nonexistent speck from his shoulder, leaving her hand there. I was struck by what an intimate gesture that was.

Out of nowhere, I felt a stab of jealousy, the likes of which I hadn't experienced since Carmen Manoso introduced herself to me as Ranger's wife. What the hell was _that _all about? I didn't have any claim to Ranger.

Even if he didn't respond to her, it really pissed me off that Blondie was fawning all over him. Granted, even though we were living together, it was in name only, and he was a free agent. But I was starting to feel a real sense of possessiveness, and I just couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do with it. So there I was, with a big knot twisting in my gut, pretending that everything was just fine. Swell!

Ranger looked over the wine list the Bitch handed him, and I noticed that even though she leaned over to give him a view of her boobage, Ranger's gaze never strayed from the list. He made his choice and she swung off to get the wine. I just sat there, staring at Ranger … along with every other female in the place. He finally looked over the top of his menu at me. "Problem?"

"Do you ever get tired of it?" I asked him.

"Of what?" He really didn't know what I was talking about.

"Women falling all over you."

He lowered his menu and gave me a rueful smile. "When I was young and stupid and selfish, I thought that being able to have any woman I wanted was the answer to a prayer. Hell, any guy would. Having beautiful women falling all over you was great for the ego." He was quiet for a minute. "I told you once that I did everything, and I did everything in excess, women included." He folded his arms on the edge of the table and shook his head. "Eventually, I outgrew that phase. Now there's only one woman I want to fall all over me," he said as he raised his menu and started to read again. "And she absolutely refuses to cooperate."

I opened my menu and held it up in front of my face to cover my ear to ear smile.

Blondie didn't give up. She flipped her hair and pursed her collagen inflated lips, put her hand on Ranger's arm as she poured the wine for him to taste. When he approved it, she begrudgingly filled my glass and then his. "Have you decided what you want … to _eat_?" she purred, the emphasis on the 'eat'.

"Oh yes," Ranger said, looking directly at me. I turned bright red.

Blondie finally got the hint. She rolled her eyes, tossed her bleached blonde hair, and stalked off, probably on the hunt for new prey.

And I settled back to enjoy my lunch. I ripped through a salad, filet mignon and a potato … baked and stuffed, of course. And so was I, by the time I finished my chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries, that is. Hey! It had fruit! If there hadn't been an interview waiting for me back at RangeMan, I could have taken a nap right then and there. Probably the crackling fire and the two glasses of wine I'd had helped, too.

We turned the corner onto Haywood and saw a police cruiser, an Arson Unit car, and a drab four-door sedan that screamed 'Government Issue', all parked in front of the building. As if he was trying to separate himself from the others, Rinaldi's vehicle was parked across the street.

We pulled into the garage, and I did a quick makeup check in the vanity mirror while Ranger came around and opened my door.

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I said with a sigh, and I tossed a couple of Tic-Tacs into my mouth.

We took the elevator up to the first floor. Next to the reception area were a couple of small conference rooms. Ranger used them to meet with anyone he didn't want to let upstairs to the more secure parts of RangeMan, like cops and alphabet-soup agents.

Ramon was on the reception desk and gave us a smile as we exited the elevator. "Your _company _is all set up in there," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Detective Rinaldi went to the deli around the corner. Apparently, he didn't get an invite to the party, and he didn't want to cool his heels out here," he nodded toward the chairs in the reception area. "Oh, and I called Ram and Les to let them know you were back in-house."

I ran a hand over my hair and smoothed down my sweater. I wasn't really nervous about the whole interview thing, I just wanted it over and done with. I really needed find out what Rinaldi wanted. Ranger turned me to face him, his hands running down my arms to twine his fingers with mine.

"You know this interview is just a formality. You know the drill … answer their questions, don't volunteer any additional information, and if they have any brains at all, they'll see you were the target, not the culprit. Lester and Ram will be with you. You know they'll look out for you."

I stood and nodded like one of those stupid bobble-head dolls. "You gonna be on five?"

"No, I'll be right across the hall." He pointed to another conference room. "We have a monitor set up in there."

I was a little surprised by that. "Really? Why?"

"Rinaldi said he wanted to talk to you privately, and I already told you that I wasn't giving anyone a chance to get you alone. So I'll be right here … watching and listening."

"Thank you for taking such good care of me," I said and reached up, kissing him on the mouth. I'd never really done that before, so I don't know who was more surprised, him or me. Our eyes met and held. I'm pretty sure he would have kissed me back if the elevator doors hadn't opened just then, and Lester and Ram strolled off.

Ranger and I stepped away from each other a little awkwardly, and I caught the shit-eating grin on Lester's bright red, swollen and peeling face. Ram just looked at the floor, trying not to smile.

Lester reached over and grabbed my hand. "Come on, Bombshell. Let's get this done." And he dragged me away from Ranger and whispered, "Ranger and Stephanie sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" I elbowed him in the ribs so hard he "Oof-ed" on the way into the conference room to face the Trenton Inquisition.

The ATF, the Arson Unit, and the TPD had each set up shop in a different corner of the room so that they could interview us individually. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw that the TPD interviewer was Eddie Gazzara. He got up, bear-hugged me and kissed me resoundingly on both cheeks.

"Hey Cuz, how you doin'?" he said in his best Joisey accent.

"Hell of a lot better knowing that you're here."

He grinned at the relief in my voice. "Nice to have somebody glad to see me for a change." He pulled out a little tape recorder and put it in the middle of the table. "Let's get this crap over with first, then we can talk," he said with a wink.

Eddie asked all the expected questions: Why did I go to the mall? What time did I get there? Why did I park where I did? Who did I meet? How long was I there? Who knew I was going to be there? What kind of insurance did I have? Who would want to hurt me? I answered all the questions, not that it was any real help.

We chatted about my living at RangeMan, how I liked it, what my mother thought of the move, and whether or not I'd seen or heard from Joe until Ram and Lester stood up from their interviews and we all played musical chairs, each of us changing interviewers.

I recognized the Arson Unit guy. He'd shown up at a couple of my car explosions, so he knew my pitiful history with motor vehicles. This was no biggie, just another 'day in the life' to him. He should have compared notes with Eddie because he asked pretty much the exact same questions, right down to whether I'd seen or heard from Joe.

I sat at the third table with the ATF guy and answered the same questions for the third time, including the one about Joe, and then we were done. He warned me not to leave my vehicles unattended since it was obvious that somebody was out to get me. Of course, I didn't have to worry about that anymore. I didn't _have_ a vehicle. Whoever was after me was just gonna have to 'get' me another way.

Ranger was waiting for me right outside the conference room. He and Eddie talked for a few minutes, then shook hands. Eddie kissed me good-bye and headed for the door, turning to call back to me, "You should stop by some time, Steph. Bob misses you."

The words hit me like a slap. I'd raised my hand to wave to him, but I was so taken off guard by what he said that all I could do was stand there and blink at him. Those three stupid words threw me for a loop. 'Bob misses you.'

That had been Morelli's line, man code for I want you, I miss you, I need you. A wave of something washed over me. Hurt? Anger? Loss? I couldn't identify it and wasn't sure that I even wanted to. All I knew was that it made my heart ache. Did I miss Morelli, or just the relationship we'd had? I really didn't have the answer to that one, either. One of these days, I was gonna have to sit down and figure it all out. But not today.

"Babe?" Ranger put his hand on my back and I was so lost in thought that I almost jumped out of my skin. "Are you okay?" Ranger looked concerned. I knew he heard what Eddie said. I just didn't know if he knew what it meant.

I plastered a smile on my face, but I don't think Ranger bought it for a second. "Oh yeah, just peachy. I, uh, need a minute." I pointed toward the restroom and edged down the hall.

Where the hell was Denial Land when I needed it? By the time I collected myself and came back to the conference room, Rinaldi was already inside, waiting for me. Ranger gave me a nod and went into the other room to watch on the monitor. I took a deep breath and went to see what Rinaldi had to say.

Rinaldi was sitting at the conference table, and he got to his feet when I came in the door. Meeting me halfway across the room, he took my arm and led me over to a chair.

"Good to see you alive and kicking, Stephanie," he said, looking me over. "I have to admit that I expected you to be panic stricken, but you don't even look rattled."

"I don't think you know my automotive history, Detective. Unfortunately, having my car explode isn't anything new … been there, done that, got the insurance rates to prove it," I said with a shrug. "At least I wasn't in it … this time."

Rinaldi shook his head, amazed. "I can't believe you're making jokes about someone trying to kill you."

I heaved a sigh. "That's nothing new either."

Enough with the chit-chat, I decided we needed to get down to business. "So why did you want to see me?"

"After I heard about the explosion, I realized that the advice I gave you was pretty lousy. Keeping secrets isn't in your best interests right now." Rinaldi actually looked sheepish.

"So, _what_? Now you think I should tell Ranger about Antoine's call and our meeting?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "You're already living here, and he has the resources to protect you. He needs to know what's going on so he can watch your back."

"You think I'm a target, too?" I already knew the answer.

He nodded. "And the three of us have to sit down and talk about it. We don't have time to wait. You need to tell him … now."

I pretended to think that over. "Okay, I guess," I said with a big sigh. "But he's not gonna be real happy that I didn't tell him right away. He's big on trust."

"That was my fault, Stephanie, and I'll tell him so," Rinaldi said.

I stood up. "Well, let me go find him, then."

I left the room, closing the door behind me, and slipped into the conference room across the hall. Ranger was slouched down in a chair, his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle, a water bottle in his hand, the picture of laid-back relaxation. He didn't look up when I came in, all of his attention focused on the monitor and Rinaldi. I swear he wasn't even blinking.

I stood behind him and looked at the monitor, too. "What do you think?" I asked.

"Hard to tell," Ranger said, not taking his eyes off the monitor. "Either he's legit, or he's one hell of an actor. The tone of his voice, his facial expressions, his body language are all in line with what he's saying. There's no tell, no sign that he's faking anything. But then again, he could be a pathological liar, in which case there _wouldn't_ be anything. We have no way of knowing at this point." He cracked open the water and held the bottle up to me.

"So what do we do?" I said and took a long drink before I handed the bottle back to him and he polished it off.

"We give it a few more minutes and then go in there and see what he has to say. I'm curious to find out what he wants to talk to me about," Ranger said, his eyes still on Rinaldi.

The door opened, and Tank came in, breaking into a huge smile when he saw me. "I've been watching from upstairs, Bomber, and you've been playing him like a violin. Good job." He tugged playfully on my ponytail, then pulled out the chair next to Ranger and took over 'monitor duty'. "You two go have fun with the policeman. Don't hurt him too bad," he quipped, not taking his eyes off the monitor as we left.

"Detective," Ranger said as we walked into the room. He took a chair across the table from Rinaldi. "You wanted to speak to me?"

Rinaldi reached into his pocket, took out a plastic evidence bag and tossed it across the table to Ranger. "I'm assuming that you know what this is."

Ranger picked up the bag and glanced at it. "High dollar, long-range transmitter, excellent sound quality, easily concealable spyware available to the general public." He held up the bag to show me. It looked a lot like the mic I wore in my bra when I worked distractions. He handed it back to Rinaldi.

"I found this little baby by accident, under the collar of my overcoat," he said and put the bag back in his pocket. "I got one of the guys to sweep the office and my house. He found more in my car, my phones, in my office, and on my desk. Somebody's gone to a lot of trouble and expense to listen in on me."

"Any idea who?" Ranger asked.

"No," he shook his head. "But I'm thinking that whoever it was probably overheard our entire conversation." Rinaldi turned to look at me. "And maybe it was something they heard that made you a target; I just can't figure out what. It could explain how they knew exactly where to find you, but not why you were targeted."

"You working any cases that would generate this kind of interest?" Ranger asked him.

Rinaldi shook his head. "Closing out the Abruzzi file, looking to find out if anyone is trying to take over his territory, a murder for hire case, piddly shit, nothing news worthy."

"Okay," Ranger got up, ending the meeting. "We all keep our ears to the ground and get in touch if anything pops. In the meantime, I'll take care of security for Stephanie."

Rinaldi shook hands with both of us, and I walked him to the reception area while Ranger went back upstairs. "You take care of yourself, Stephanie," Rinaldi said as he reached the front door. "Don't take any chances. We don't have any idea who we're dealing with, but we _do_ know they want you dead." All I could do was nod.

Junior had replaced Ramon and came out from behind the desk to stand next to me. "You trust him?"

"I want to," I said as I watched Rinaldi cross the street to his car, get in and put the key in the ignition. I found myself flinching, expecting the vehicle to blow up when he turned the key, and Junior put his arm around me. Thankfully, nothing happened, and Rinaldi pulled away from the curb and drove off. I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling very cold, and went to find Ranger.

The next morning it was back to work, and breakfast was at 7am, which was just wrong on so many levels. I had decided that every day I would give Ranger a little revenge zinger, and today I was gonna start his day off right. The idea helped me haul my butt out of bed at that ungodly hour.

He was already at the table when I padded into the dining room in my jammies. "Good morning," I sing-songed.

Coffee cup in hand, Ranger put down his paper and looked up at me. "Good m…" That was as far as he got before he took in what I had on and froze. I was wearing cute blue flannel sleep pants with little yellow duckies, that hung a couple of inches below my belly button. They matched the blue long-sleeved thermal shirt that ended a couple of inches _above _my belly button. The five or six inches of bare skin I was showing were what attracted Ranger's attention, and his eyes didn't meet mine until after I sat down.

"Something wrong?" I deadpanned as I took the cover off of the blueberry pancakes and maple sausage that Ella had made for me.

"No. Nothing at all," he said and swallowed hard. Bingo!

Ranger and I talked until I finished eating. He got up and collected his utility belt from the back of his chair and came around the table to me, standing so close that I had to tip my head back to look up at him. He splayed his hand on my throat, then bent and kissed me, tongue and all, until I was brainless.

He said something, but my brain couldn't process what. "Huh?"

"I _said_, 'I'll see you downstairs'." He was grinning as he walked to the door.

The more I thought about it, the more I was starting to think that maybe Ranger was playing his own version of the Revenge Game. Hmmm.

At nine o'clock sharp, I strolled into my cubby in the Control Room to find Ramon sitting at the desk with his chin in his hand, his eyes practically crossed. "Hey you," I said to him. "I'm ba-a-ack. I guess you're relieved of Dunce Desk Duty. What did you do this time, another speeding ticket?"

"Nah," he said with a sigh. "Officer Picky pulled me over because my license plate light was out. Ranger said that I wasn't paying attention to _details_ and here I am … again."

"Well, I'm here now. I guess you're off the hook." Dunce Desk Duty was a punishment for the rest of RangeMan. For me it was my own personal specialty.

"You been to Ranger's office already?"

"Unh-uh, why?"

"I got a call that I was supposed to send you there as soon as you came in. You in trouble already?"

"Noooo! I haven't been here long enough to get into any trouble … yet." I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed down the hall.

Ranger's office door was open, and he waved me in right away. Tank and Hector were sitting in the guest chairs in front of his desk. "I'm interrupting. I can come back later."

"No, Steph. We were waiting for you," Tank ushered me into the room and pulled up another chair for me.

Ranger came around his desk and leaned against the edge, arms and ankles crossed. His lips were tipped up into his 'almost' smile, but Hector and Tank were grinning at me like Cheshire Cats. Uh-oh! Something was up. "What?" I looked around at them, worried.

"Remember when you told me about your job as a lingerie buyer?" Ranger asked.

"Uh, ye-a-h," I said slowly, not really seeing where he was going.

Tank leaned forward in his chair. "Bombshell, we want you to do the same thing for RangeMan!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You want me to buy nylon panties for RangeMan?" I asked, feeling like I'd stepped into the Twilight Zone.

"NO!" all three said at the same time and looked at me like I was deranged.

"We want you to _shop _for RangeMan," Ranger said. "You're an expert in that field."

I was totally lost. "Shop for what … exactly?"

"Parts," Hector said. "Wire, cable, connectors, sensors …"

"All those thing-a-ma-jigs and do-hickies that we run to Radio Shack for," Ranger reminded me of what I had called the bits and pieces needed to build a security system.

"Okay," I said a little cautiously. "I guess. But why me?"

"Ranger said that you've had experience in dealing with budgets and manufacturers and comparison shopping and contract negotiation. You have all the qualifications to do the job," Tank said.

I narrowed my eyes at the three of them. "Is this just busy work for me? Something you three came up with so that I wouldn't get bored just sitting at the Dunce Desk running background checks?"

"No! Absolutely not," Ranger said, but I wasn't convinced.

Tank took over. "Bomber, you know that Hector is in charge of all installations, maintenance, and repairs for all our security systems. Since we've grown so fast, he's been after us to have our own 'parts department' here at RangeMan. It makes more sense for the installers to pull the stock for a whole job from right here, instead of running all over town trying to find what they need. It would be easier, more efficient, and definitely more cost-effective for the whole company."

"And we get to work together, Chica," Hector said with a grin. "I teach you to talk dirty in Spanish." We all laughed when Ranger scowled at him.

"Okay," I said, smiling at them. "I'm willing to give it a shot if you guys are." Little did I know what I was getting myself into.

A week later, I was sitting in the passenger seat of a RangeMan SUV, tired, achy, filthy, hungry, creeped out, and more than a little pissed off that I had gotten myself into this mess. I'd spent the day with Hector and one of his crews, watching while they installed a top of the line security system in the latest old building that the New Jersey Historical Society had acquired.

The idea was that I could see, first hand, how the crews worked so that I'd have a better idea of the problems that they faced during installations. I don't know whose brilliant idea this was, but it wasn't mine! And when I do figure out whose it was, I'm gonna fix him good! The very first thing these guys needed was an exterminator.

I'd followed crew members through bug-infested basements, rat-infested crawl spaces, and bat-infested attics. I had rat crap on my boots, spider webs on my coveralls, and bat shit in my hair. Stick a fork in me; I was done communing with nature. Who knew that there were opossums in Trenton, for crying out loud?

Cal, my bodyguard du jour, was behind the wheel, his curled lip telling me that the sight of me and the smell, too, probably offended his delicate sensibilities. Although I didn't quite buy that a guy with a flaming skull tattooed on his forehead had sensibilities, delicate or otherwise.

Of course, I was forgetting that Cal was the Merry Man who passed out and concussed himself when Val's water broke and splashed on him. Okay, so maybe it wasn't sensibilities; maybe it was just a weak stomach. The bigger they are, the harder they fall!

He kept looking at me while I entered my notes into my Blackberry. "What?" I finally demanded, in NO mood to play games.

"What _is _that on your hat?" he nodded toward the top of my head.

"Is it moving?" I asked, panicked. He shook his head 'no', and I gingerly removed my RangeMan cap with my index finger and thumb, holding it away from me to take a look. "Probably bat shit," I said in disgust, dropping the cap daintily on the floor of the SUV.

"Hell," Cal shook his head. "You shouldn't be wearing coveralls, Steph. You need a Haz-Mat suit."

"No joke!" I couldn't wait to get out of my grungy, stinky clothes and into a hot shower. Hell, I'd be thrilled to just hose myself down in the middle of the street … winter weather and rubber-neckers be damned. Anything to feel clean.

"You wanna stop at Mickey D's or Tasty Pastry or Pino's?" Cal asked, throwing me a sideways glance. "I know you didn't eat lunch."

"No thanks. I'll wait until I can stand the smell of myself. And after all those bugs, I'm still too grossed-out to eat anything." I shuddered at the thought of them crawling all over me.

"Okay, back to RangeMan it is." Cal pulled out his phone and reported to Tank and Zero, who were parked down the block in the chase car, then pulled away from the curb and headed for the highway. I watched in the side-view mirror as Tank pull out right behind us, and sent him a little finger wave. He tooted the horn back at me.

"Ranger couldn't pay me enough to that job," Cal said as we drove along. "I'd take people shooting at me any day over having to deal with bats and bugs and rats."

"Me, too," I said with another shudder. "I don't know how they do it. Rolling in garbage and getting paint dumped on me and wrestling greased-up skips doesn't seem half bad after today."

"Amen!" Cal said so seriously that I had to laugh. "I have a whole new respect for all those installers. They may be little guys, but they're tough! I'd want 'em on my side in a bar fight!"

The thought of huge Cal needing any kind of help in a fight just tickled me, and I was feeling a whole lot better about my crappy day.

I'd been flipping through an electronic parts catalog while we talked, but I looked up when Cal cursed and slammed on the brakes. The car ahead of us had stopped short, leaving us stuck in the middle of an intersection. The driver of the car jumped out and ran off.

"Why the hell is he run…" I turned to look at him just as Cal lunged toward me, covering me with his own body. Over Cal's shoulder, I saw the eighteen wheeler bearing down on us, its shiny chrome grill coming fast, filling the driver's side windows, smashing through them.

The impact was horrendous, and it felt like the SUV was being ripped apart. There was so much noise. Glass shattered, metal shrieked, the air bags deployed, me … screaming. The SUV seemed to fold in on itself as the big rig rammed it across the intersection, turning it over onto its side. Something slammed into my head, stars burst on the inside of my eyelids, and I spun away into darkness.

The first thing I heard was Tank's deep rumbling voice. "Come on Bombshell, wake up. Open your eyes. Let me see those big, baby blues of yours." I opened my eyes to see Tank's big, toothy grin. "There you are. Zero's gonna ride with you to the hospital. These EMTs tell me I take up too much room in the ambulance, so I'll s…"

Next thing I knew I was I in the ambulance, sirens wailing, every bump and bounce making my head feel like it was going to explode. I was strapped down so I couldn't move, and I had on one of those big collars so I couldn't turn my head. Zero was sitting next to me, stroking my arm and telling me that everything would be okay.

"What happened?" I heard myself mumble.

"You and Cal were T-boned by an eighteen wheeler," Zero said. "It's a miracle that you're both alive."

I closed my eyes in relief, and lost more time. One minute I was talking to the EMT, and the next, the ER doctor, who I knew waaay too well, was shining a light in my eyes and asking me questions.

"We have to stop meeting like this, Sleeping Beauty. Where do you hurt?" the doctor asked.

"My head," I told him.

"Not surprising. You've got a real goose egg here." He poked around my scalp. "Couple of stitches and it'll be fine."

That got my attention! "No shaving my head!" The bald spot I got from my run-in with Abruzzi was just filling in. I didn't need another one.

"We'll see, Steph. What else hurts?"

"My leg."

"Here?"

"Unh-unh."

"Here?"

"Owwww!"

"Sorry. I understand you got tossed around quite a bit. Tomorrow you're going to feel like one big bruise," he said cheerfully. All the while he talked, he poked and prodded me. "Can you move your fingers and toes for me? Good, good. Does this hurt? This?" He moved my arms and legs, pressed on my sides and stomach, and just generally annoyed the hell out of me.

"Okay, so your head hurts, and you have body aches. Are you dizzy? Nauseous?

"Yes, yes, yes, and oh Hell yes!" I groaned as a wave of nausea washed over me.

"Okay, we're going to take care of that right now." He spoke to the nurse, and she left the exam room. "I'm sending you for a CAT scan or two. I know you've got a hard head, but we want to make sure you didn't crack it this time. Your spinal x-rays look good, the collar is off, and if the CAT scans are clear, we'll keep you overnight for observation, and barring anything cropping up, you should be able to go home this time tomorrow. How's that?"

"Observation for what?" I asked suspiciously.

"Stuff like brain bleeds. Every couple of hours, the nurses on duty will rouse you, see if you respond, check your pupils, make sure that nothing serious develops. They'll keep you comfortable, give you medications for pain and nausea. It's our job to see that you leave the hospital in better shape than you entered it."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not staying. I'm fine. I just want to get out of here." I hated hospitals! They were full of sick people.

"Stephanie, I'm not going to sign your release papers until tomorrow. You've had a head injury and aren't capable of making an informed decision about your own health care, so you might as well just relax and let us take care of you," the Doctor said with a smile. "Plus, if I let you leave, _your _mother will tell _my_ mother and there'll be hell to pay." Could you tell that the doctor grew up in the Burg, too? He patted me on the foot and left.

"Chicken!" I yelled after him.

The nurse came back in and gave me a couple of pills to swallow. She'd just turned me on my side and flipped open the back of the hospital gown to give me a shot, when that old familiar tingle ran down my spine. Ranger got a full moon. Could this get any worse?

I had my hand over my face and my eyes squeezed shut. If I couldn't see him, maybe he couldn't see me either. It was worth a try. "Babe?" he said softly from right in front of my face. I could hear the smile in his voice and cracked my eyes open. His chin was resting on his folded arms, his face just a couple inches from mine.

I took one look at him and tears started to leak out of my eyes. "They won't let me go home," I said with a sob.

"I know, Baby, I talked to the doctor." He pushed the hair out of my eyes. "They're gonna take good care of you."

"But I don't need anybody to take care of me. _I _can take care of me. I'll follow orders. I'll be good. I promise."

"I'm sorry, Babe. The doctor said he wouldn't release you until tomorrow."

"He's not the boss of me!" I clutched at his hand. "You could _make_ him let me go," I whispered so that the nurse wouldn't hear.

"It's only overnight, and I'll spring you tomorrow. The doctor's in charge. Right now, he's the boss of all of us."

"You … you could sneak me out of here. Nobody would ever know. I wouldn't tell, honest."

Ranger chuckled. "I'm not worried about getting into trouble, Steph. I'm just worried about you."

"I'll make it worth your while!" I said, changing gears. I fluttered my eyelashes at him for good measure. At least I think I did.

Ranger gave me a full-on smile. "Thanks for the offer, but you have a concussion and short term memory loss. By the time I got you out of here, you wouldn't remember."

"You don't care about me," I wailed. "You're g-gonna go home and sit up in your p-penthouse and leave me here all by myself and let these people t-t-torture me!" And I just kept right on boo-hooing.

Ranger laughed and wiped the tears off my cheeks. "Okay, I'll tell you what. I'll stay with you tonight and make sure that they don't torture you. How's that."

"Really?" I said between sobs.

"Really," and he kissed the tip of my nose.

By the time the CAT scan was done and I got settled in a room in the OBS unit, all I wanted to do was sleep. Ranger was in one of those sleep chairs, and I settled back against the pillows, closed my eyes and fell blissfully asleep.

Four minutes later, a Nazi Nurse was shaking my arm and flashing a blinding light in my eyes. She scared the crap outta me, and I let out a shriek that brought Ranger to his feet. If she was trying to drum up business for their cardiac unit, she was doing a damn fine job of it.

My heart was still racing when she cheerfully announced that I should relax and go back to sleep, she'd be in to check on me in a couple of hours. Now I knew why firearms weren't allowed in hospitals.

Ranger came and sat on the edge of the bed. "Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"A six-pack of Corona. Three fingers of Jack. Just something light to take the edge off."

He chuckled and reached for my hand in the dim light. "Seriously. Can I do anything for you?"

"Just talk to me for a while," I said.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, there are about a million things I'd like to talk to you about." Okay, so I know I must have been loopy to be saying stuff like that to Ranger. I was surprised he didn't take off at a dead run.

"Name one," he said.

"Jeanne Ellen Burrows." I said the first thing that popped into my mind. "Or should I say, your relationship with her." Oh boy! I had the feeling I'd just stepped into a mine field.

Ranger was quiet for so long, I thought maybe I'd dozed off again and he'd slipped out of the room. "That was a long time ago," he finally said.

I leaned back against the pillows and looked out the window and let him talk.

"I came to Trenton to see if it was worth setting up shop here. I put out word that I was looking for people with experience in security or skip tracing. Jeanne Ellen was one of the people who showed up. She was well trained, she was smart, and she was ambitious. I didn't hire her because she was beautiful, she was sexy, and she knew it. She would have led all the guys I'd already hired around by their dicks. Not good when you're trying to build a business.

So, Jeanne Ellen did contract work for RangeMan … distractions and jobs where a woman's touch was needed. We just fell into a mutually satisfying, and very intense, physical relationship. It eventually burned itself out. I couldn't even tell you how long it lasted, but we parted company with no hard feelings and we've maintained a good working relationship ever since."

"Forty-two days," I said. I could hear myself slurring the words.

"What?"

"It lasted forty-two days." I turned my head to look at him. "She told me.

"What else did she tell you?"

"That you said your life didn't lend itself to relationships."

"I never lied to her, Stephanie, or to you. The only difference is that I found it out after the fact with Jeanne Ellen. I told you up front."

"I know."

"Can you sleep now?"

I turned back to the window and closed my eyes, thinking that I might never sleep again because there wasn't enough brain bleach on the planet to wash away the image of Ranger and Jeanne Ellen in bed together.

I was sure I wouldn't sleep, so I was pretty surprised when my own personal tormentor woke me up with that damned light in my eyes. The headache was back, worse than before, and I was queasy again, dammit! But since Nazi Nurse came armed with more pills and a shot, I was actually glad to see her. She even brought me a cup of tea and couple of cookies.

Ranger sat on the bed again, this time next to me, and I leaned against his shoulder. "Got another topic of conversation?" he asked.

"You're a brave man, Mr. Manoso."

"One man's courage is another's stupidity. So shoot."

I took a deep breath, and tried to decide if I was being brave or stupid. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

I didn't have to explain. Ranger knew exactly what I was talking about. He went very still beside me. "I guess I should have known you'd ask that," his voice was flat and emotionless. "Are you sure you want to know the answer?"

All I could do was nod.

If I'd been queasy from the concussion, now I was full fledged ready to throw up, anticipating what he'd say. I knew he wouldn't lie, or try to whitewash the truth, but sometimes the truth hurts, and I was really scared of what the truth would be.

He hesitated again, as if he was choosing his words carefully. "That night, I told you that I couldn't offer you anything more than I ever had, and I asked you if that was enough. You didn't say anything, just invited me in. It surprised me, but I took that as your answer."

I couldn't bring myself to look at Ranger, so I stared out the window at Hamilton Avenue. The wind was howling, and it had started to sleet. The perfect night for this kind of talk.

"On Sunday I was called to a planning meeting. I didn't know that I was going anywhere, Stephanie. That wasn't on the agenda, and I wasn't given any choice. The decision had been made before I got there. I was on a plane in minutes, and I didn't even know to where. We aren't given any information until we're en route."

He blew out a deep breath and didn't say anything else for a couple of long minutes. "But even if I could have gotten in touch with you, I don't think I would have."

I couldn't help myself, I turned to look at him, more confused then he'd ever made me … and that's saying a lot. "Why? Why wouldn't you let me know?"

"Stephanie, you agreed to a no-strings, no-relationship, no-price arrangement, and that would have been a string. It would have been me asking you to wait. That wasn't what you'd agreed to."

"Why'd you act like such a … a jerk?"

Even though the light was dim, I could see his face clearly, and he actually looked embarrassed. "I'm human, Stephanie. I wanted you to wait."

I leaned my head against his shoulder, and a sigh inadvertently escaped. "We're really screwed up, aren't we?"

"In a very large way," Ranger said and putting his arm around me, he pulled me closer.

A new Nazi came in to wake me. This one was very gentle. She did her assessment, then quietly told Ranger that this time, I could sleep for four hours straight. It sounded like heaven to me!

Ranger moved to get off the bed, and I stopped him. "Stay, please?" The room was spinning again, and I really needed something solid to hold onto. Make that some_one _solid.

He toed his boots off and slid under the covers next to me, tucking me gently against his side. He pressed his lips to my forehead and asked, "All out of questions?"

I yawned, more physically and mentally exhausted than I could ever remember being. "Just one," I mumbled, fighting to stay awake.

"Okay," he said, pulling the covers up over me.

"Are there other Stephanies?"

"What?" He raised his head to look at me.

"Do you have somebody like me in Boston, or in Miami? Do you have other Stephanies?"

I felt his chest move in silent laughter. "No, you're one of a kind, Babe. One Stephanie is all I'll ever need."

TBC …

A/N: So, was the accident another attempt on Steph's life? If so, who's after her? Will Ranger be able to protect her? Do you think Ranger has caught on to Steph's revenge game? Do you think he'll play too? Let me know what you think he should do … he deserves to have some fun, don't you think?

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I tried to respond to each review, I apologize if I missed yours. Please know that each and every review is appreciated … I'm ashamed to admit that I'm still a terrible review whore! LOL!

Stayce


	30. You Can't Hurry Love!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, Quotes from all 16 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse, Writer's Block …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, to Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, to Miranda for the Edit, Comma Addiction, and Hyphen Fascination, as well as friendship and encouragement and letting me rant, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

**There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved.**

**It is God's finger on man's shoulder.**

**Charles Morgan**

**Chapter 30: You Can't Hurry Love, No You'll Just Have to Wait!**

You know how when some people don't feel good, they say they feel like they were hit by a truck? Well let me tell ya, I knew from first-hand, up close and personal experience exactly what they were talking about. Honest to God, every time I woke up, more of me hurt.

As Ranger helped me shuffle back from the bathroom and literally crawl into bed, I realized that from the hair on the top of my head, all the way down to the soles of my feet, _everything_ ached. I was a mess. All my muscles had cramped up, and Methuselah, that 900 year old guy from the Bible, probably had more spring in his step than I did.

Luckily, I had my very own personal heating pad, in the form of Ranger, who'd carefully wrapped himself around me. He tucked me against his chest, my head under his chin and my arm around his waist. His body heat soaked into me and his big, warm hands ran soothing circles over my aching back.

For all his rock hard muscles, that man made the _best_ pillow I'd ever had. I snuggled against him with a contented sigh, closed my eyes, and drifted off.

As my luck would _also _have it, Nurse Hitler was back on duty, so my bliss didn't last long. The bitch snuck into the room at the ass crack of dawn with a HUGE syringe and stabbed me in the butt so hard I think she hit bone! I screeched and flew at least three feet off the mattress. Ranger's arms tightened around me automatically, the only thing that kept me from punching her lights out. And nobody understood why I hated hospitals! Yeesh!

The Nazi flipped on all the lights and scowled at Ranger. She promptly evicted him from my hospital bed, gruffly scolding _me_ before shooing him over to the sleep chair. What the hell was _that _all about? Ranger just gave her his full-on, two-hundred watt smile, and her eyes glazed over.

I watched in disgust as the Eva Braun of St. Francis Hospital brought Ranger a pillow and a blanket and fussed over him, making sure he was all nice and comfy in the sleep chair, while I lay on the bed rubbing my sore ass. I swear I thought she was going to tuck the man in and sing him a lullaby.

I gave him a pissy face and stuck my tongue out at him behind her back. The louse just grinned at me.

With a sly smile, Nurse Nasty turned her attention to me, gleefully rubbing her hands together. I could see the evil flashing in her eyes and I pretended to be asleep, but there was no fooling her.

"Wakey, wakey, Sunshine!" Nurse Ratchet sneered as she smacked me on my already sore rump. She yanked me up into a sitting position and shoved a couple of horse pills down my throat, did another assessment, and cheerfully flipped back my covers.

"Up and at 'em! Get a move on it. We're gonna take a little stroll to loosen up those muscles of yours," she barked orders at me like a prison matron. I was beginning to think she had a hidden agenda, like maybe she thought RangeMan needed a drill instructor, and since Ranger was sitting right there, this was her audition.

Despite my protests, she hauled me out of the bed and ordered me to walk around to work out the kinks. I was still dizzy though, so she grabbed me by the arm and marched me out into the hall. Well, she marched. I scuffled … slowly and painfully.

I looked back at Ranger and mouthed, 'HELP!' He just shook his head and said, "Sorry Steph. You're on your own with this one." I think I bared my teeth and growled at him.

We went down one side of the hall, past Ramon, who was standing guard outside my door. He tried to look sympathetic, but failed miserably. I knew most of the staff gathered at the Nurses' Station. As we passed it, they waved and cheered me on. We rounded the curved information desk that was positioned in front of the elevators, and then headed back up the other side of the hall toward my room again. Thank God!

Of course, we went right past the door and started on a second lap. I whimpered at Ramon, but he just bit his lip and stared at the ceiling. It looked like even the Merry Men weren't foolhardy enough to take on the Nurse From Hell. That, alone, should tell you something!

"Oh, stop being such a wimp!" she grumbled. I shot her my best Burg death glare and she rolled her eyes. "Forget it, Sister," she snorted. "You can't scare me!" She upped her speed and I hobbled after her.

By the time we got to the end of the hall, I was hunched over like Quasimodo and gasping for air. I felt like Dead Woman Walking and put my foot down, literally, refusing to budge another inch. Disgusted, the Wicked Witch flew off on her broom to find a wheelchair. I collapsed, face first, on the information desk. My back was to the elevators when the doors pinged open, and a bright flash come from behind me.

I turned my head to look over my shoulder and was met by another flash. It took a second to blink my vision clear, and when I did, my worst fears were realized. There in the elevator, grinning like a mad man was that slimy weasel reporter who had pinned that stupid 'Bombshell Bounty Hunter' name on me. He held up his camera and called, "Nice ass, Bombshell! See ya on the front page," and took another picture.

I straightened up and clapped my hands to my cheeks … the butt ones, and sure enough, the back of my hospital gown was hanging wide open. My eyes popped wide and my jaw hit the floor. He just raised his camera, told me to smile, and clicked away. "Love the hair, Bombshell! You goin' for the Bride of Frankenstein look?" Click, click, click!

That settled it! I wanted to grab the little twerp by the neck and twist his head off like a bottle cap! I forgot all about my aching muscles and, with a scream of rage, I lunged for the elevator. The creep was going to die!

Of course, my body didn't cooperate. I tripped over my own two feet and fell on the floor, landing on my hands and knees. Thankfully, the elevator doors closed on the rat bastard before he could document _that _particular humiliation, but the damage was already done. I crawled toward the elevator on all fours, determined to follow him, catch him, and eviscerate him with my bare hands!

I shrieked when arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me off the floor. I was in full rhino mode with fists swinging, legs kicking, and it took me a minute to realize that Ranger was holding me, trying to calm me down.

Ramon sprinted past us and yelled, "I'll get him!" He hit the door to the stairwell running full tilt, and we could hear him thundering down the stairs in hot pursuit.

I could see it now, my ass splashed across the front page of the Trenton Times in living color. Okay, black and white, but still and all. Granted, there would be a little black rectangle over my face and most of my butt, but everyone would know it was me and my ass. A sob came out of nowhere and I gave up the fight, going limp in Ranger's arms.

"Easy, Baby," he said softly. "It'll be okay." He tied the back of my gown closed before helping me into the wheelchair. Squatting in front of me, he reached out and cupped my cheek, wiping a tear off my face with his thumb. "You go back to your room and try to sleep. Don't worry about anything. Ramon and I will take care of this." All I could do was nod and watch him head for the stairs.

Twenty minutes later, I was still wide awake and hadn't seen or heard from Ranger or Ramon. I was lying in bed, exhausted, cranky, hungry, pissed off and in the middle of one hell of a pity party when the door opened and Hector slipped into the room. Ranger had called for reinforcements.

"Hola, Chica," Hector smiled at me. "Como te sientes?" (How are you feeling?)

"Oh, just friggin' magnifico," I said miserably. (friggin' fine)

"Awwww, pobrecita," sympathy laced his voice. He sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the duffle bag he was carrying. "Ella sends you clean clothes and breakfast." He reached into the bag and, like a rabbit out of a hat, he pulled out a thermos and a small insulated bag. "Café y bizcocho!" (Pobrecita- poor thing, café y bozcocho- coffee and scones)

"Coffee and scones." I instantly stopped feeling sorry for myself. Ahhh, the magic of comfort food! God bless Ella!

A small sound made Hector whip around, his knife magically in his hand. He relaxed when Tank came into the room with Zero and Hal trooping in behind him.

"Morning, Bomber," Tank said as he elbowed Hector out of the way. "Good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Probably like she got hit by a truck!" Zero said with a laugh, earning him a scowl from Hector and a smack on the back of the head from Hal.

Tank dangled a McDonald's bag in front of my face. "Look what I brought you!" he sing-songed.

Zero pushed in front of Tank. He grinned and held up a tray of coffees and a Tasty Pastry box. "Ditto, Bombshell!"

"Here," Hal reached over Zero and handed me a super-duper sized fresh fruit smoothy from the local health food store. "Drink this instead of the coffee. It's healthier." He peeled the paper off the straw and shoved it through the little hole in the top of the lid.

"Oh wow, you guys!" I struggled to sit up and the Merry Men sprang into action. Tank straightened the blankets, Hector raised the head of the bed, Zero fluffed my pillows, and Hal slid the bed table in front of me. I felt like Cinderella and her mice. Great big, muscled, black clad, Merry Mice. Eat your heart out, Disney!

Zero opened the Tasty Pastry box and waved a Boston Crème under my nose. Tank rummaged around in the McDonald's bag and pulled out a pancake breakfast. "You want me to cut it up for you, Bomber?" he asked as he peeled the top off the hot pancake syrup container. Hector put a cup of Ella's coffee and a still warm cranberry-orange scone in front of me, and Hal replaced the coffee with the smoothie.

I was starving, so I dug right in. I had a scone in one hand, a Boston Crème in the other, and Tank fed me a forkful of pancakes, while Zero used a napkin to wipe syrup off my chin. I had gone from Hell to Heaven in one bite.

"Looks like I'm going to have to add Ladies' Maid to the list of services RangeMan offers," Ranger said dryly from where he stood in the doorway.

"Yeah," Ramon echoed. "I wonder if they make those frilly aprons in XXX large?" The guys just ignored him.

"Did you find him?" I looked back and forth from Ranger to Ramon.

Ranger gave me his almost smile and Ramon dropped a little square something into my hand.

It was a camera memory card. I squealed in delight and closed my fingers around it, clutching it to my chest. "Oh, you're my heroes! How did you get it!"

"His camera had a very bad accident in the parking lot," Ramon said, sniffing dramatically. "I'm afraid it didn't make it."

"Too bad its owner didn't meet the same fate," I snarked.

"Too many witnesses," Ranger quipped. "Although I did have a little chat with him."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And where is he now?"

"Probably at home changing his underwear," Ramon laughed. My day was just getting better and better. "Ranger scared the crap outta him!"

The guys listened to our exchange with interest. Tank piped up, "What's going on?"

I gave them a quick recap of this morning's events. The guys just shook their heads, trying to look outraged for my benefit, but they couldn't help laughing. "Only you, Bombsh … uh, Steph," Zero chuckled.

And here I thought I wasn't on the payroll as entertainment anymore. Ranger helped himself to a coffee and side-stepped Hector and Zero who were wrestling over the last chocolate donut.

I blew out a sigh and poured a cup of Ella's coffee. "At least the little slimebag didn't have a chance to sell the pictures to the pa… Hey!" I yelped.

Hal snatched the coffee out of my hand and replaced it with the smoothie. "This is better for you, Steph."

"Ha-al," I whined at him. "I appreciate the thought, but really, I need my caffeine!" I tried to tug the cup out of his hand.

"Yeah, but this isn't just about you anymore." He looked around nervously and dropped his voice to a whisper. "It's about the … the … you know." He hissed nervously, shifting from one foot to the other.

I looked at him funny. "No Hal, I don't know. You're gonna have to spell it out!" I said. Ranger and the Merry Men turned to listen.

Hal leaned in, still whispering. "Caffeine isn't good for the b-a-b-y!" Who knew that Hal was so literal?

My eyebrows shot up somewhere north of my hairline and I gaped at him. "Excuse me? Exactly _what _b-a-b-y are you talking about?" I asked, totally confused.

"Your b-a-b-y, Steph," Hal said gently. "I know you have amnesia, so I guess maybe you don't remember."

Ranger froze, coffee halfway to his mouth. Tank's jaw dropped, and Ramon plunked down in a chair, and Hector and Zero let go of the donut they were fighting over. Everybody turned to look at Ranger, who glowered at them, and then everybody looked down at my stomach. I looked down at my stomach, too.

I knew I had temporary amnesia, like Hal said. But even so, I didn't think I could forget all about being pregnant! I'd had a couple of late periods in my life, and let me tell ya, you don't forget those kinds of scares. Plus, if you considered my current _lack _of sexual activity, I was practically re-virginized! So unless this was an Immaculate Conception, and I hadn't been visited by any Archangels lately, I didn't have anything to worry about. Probably.

I held up one finger. "Hal, w-why would you think I was p-pregnant?" I finally managed to get the words out of my mouth.

"Well, when they were doing the x-rays and stuff, they asked you if you were, and then covered up your stomach with that lead blanket, and they musta put you on this floor for a reason."

We all just stared at him. "What?" we said in unison.

Hal rolled his eyes and went to the door. Pulling it open, he pointed to the room number, OBS 202. "See? Obstetrics! This is where they put the pregnant ladies."

Tank ran his hands over his face, probably in an effort not to laugh. He pushed off the wall where he'd been leaning, and went over to Hal, slinging his arm around Hal's shoulder. Good naturedly, he scrubbed his knuckles over Hal's buzz cut head, giving him a noogie. "Buddy," Tank started, struggling to keep a straight face. "OBS means Observation. This is where they watch patients to make sure they're okay before the send them home. OB/GYN means babies."

"But I thought …" Hal stopped and we actually saw the light bulb go on over his head. "Ohhhhhh," he said as realization hit him. He gave me a sort of sickly smile and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sorry, Steph. I made a mistake." He ducked his head and looked like he was going to scuff his toe on the floor like a little boy. A very large little boy.

"That's okay, Hal. You were just trying to look out for me." I even picked up the smoothie he brought and took a big drink. It really tasted pretty good for something healthy.

Ranger cleared his throat and Hal looked up at him. The poor guy snapped to attention and his face turned pale. "Mats. 6am?" Hal asked, his voice shaky. Ranger gave him a curt nod. "Yessir!" Hal gulped, did an about face, gave me a wave, and marched out of the room.

We all looked at each other and just cracked up. Poor Hal! Good thing we all loved him! I turned to Ranger. "You're not really gonna beat him up, are you?"

Ranger gave me a pained look. "No," he replied with as close to a sigh as I'd ever heard. "That would be like kicking a puppy." We all went off into gales of laughter again.

After I caught my breath from laughing, I went back to feeding my face. "So what are all you guys doing here so early?" I asked Tank. "You didn't just come to feed me, did you?"

"I came to relieve Ramon. Hal and Zero came to pick up Cal. He's getting his release papers now," he answered.

"Heeey! No fair! How come _he_ gets to leave early and I'm still stuck here?" I whined to no one in particular and stuffed more pancake into my face.

"Probably because he wasn't out cold for an hour," Ranger said over the rim of his coffee cup.

"What did I hit, anyway?" I gingerly touched the goose egg on my head.

"When the semi hit, you and Cal knocked heads. He got a bump, you got a concussion. I'm amazed that there's actually someone who has a head harder than yours," Ranger said, his smile making his eyes crinkle.

"Oh har-dee-har-har!" I wrinkled my nose and gave him a pissy face.

"Do you remember what happened yet, Chica?" Hector asked.

I thought about it for a minute and shook my head. "Just flashes that I can't connect."

"We were scared enough when you didn't come to. But I think it was worse when you did. You musta asked what happened fifty times yesterday, Steph," Zero said as he snagged another donut.

"We'd tell you, and a minute later, you'd ask again," Tank added as he came over and sat on the foot of the bed. "Then you'd get upset and say that nobody would tell you what happened."

"You pretty much freaked us all out, but the EMT said that was normal for a concussion," Ramon chimed in.

"Maybe is not a bad thing you don't remember, si?" Hector said sympathetically, and patted my leg.

"The last thing I _do_ remember is all those rats scurrying around, and the bugs, and those bats," I said with a shudder. "Ugh! Now _that _I wish I could forget."

Hector grinned at me, but Ranger's brow furrowed. "Bats and bugs? What are you talking about, Steph?"

"Oh, don't try to play innocent with me, Buster," I pointed my plastic fork at him. "The guys told me it was your idea!"

"Which guys told you _what_ was my idea?" Ranger narrowed his eyes and looked around at the guys in the room.

"My guys," Hector said with a grin. "They take the new team member on a tour."

Ranger turned, eyebrows raised. "Did they now," Ranger gave Hector a look.

"To show her the problems," he said with a shrug.

"Yeah," I said. "You need a fulltime exterminator on the payroll. Bugs in the basement, wildlife in the walls, rats in the rafters, bats in the belfry … the Addams' Family would have felt right at home there." I shuddered again.

"And they said that _I _ordered this tour?" Ranger asked me.

"Well, they said that those kinds of orders could only come down from the top. And you're always on top!" I grumbled.

Ranger grinned and the Merry Men snickered, and I groaned. I'd walked right into that one. Ranger leaned in close and whispered, "You know you can be on top any time you like." The guys didn't have to hear what Ranger said, my flaming cheeks, the ones on my face this time, were a dead giveaway. They all stood around, smirking and I just covered my face with my hands.

Ranger brushed my hair back off my face and tucked it behind my ear. "What's this crispy stuff in your hair?" he asked.

"Probably dried bat shit," I told him with a sigh.

Ranger turned to Hector. "Your team. On the mats. 6am," he said curtly. "They can face off with Hal."

Hector barked a laugh. "Good! They been working hard. They need to play!" He took out his cell phone to text his men. "We tape it for you, Chica?" he said with a grin.

"Oh yeah!" That was something I wouldn't want to miss.

The guys all left and I must have dozed off because I woke up to voices. An orderly was telling Ranger that he'd be back in an hour to take me for my final CAT scan and if it was clear, the doctor would release me.

"If I'm gonna leave this room again," I yawned, "I have to take a shower and wash my hair, just in case there's somebody else lurking around outside with a camera," I said to Ranger, who watched me over the top of the newspaper he was reading. Still light-headed, I slid out of the bed and collected the shampoo and conditioner that Ella had sent, then sort of wobbled toward the bathroom.

"You need help?" Ranger asked and started to get out of his chair.

"Nah, I'm good." .

He didn't look convinced. "I'll be right here if you need me."

I brushed my teeth while I waited for the water to heat up. It wasn't until I'd chased myself around in a circle, trying to grab the ties on the back of the hospital gown that I realized I was still too sore to reach them. I finally gave up and called Ranger.

I just turned my back to him when he came into the bathroom and he knew what the problem was. "Are you going to be able to wash your hair by yourself?"

I tried to raise my arms over my head, but no dice. Ranger slipped the gown off my shoulders and handed me into the shower. The hot water felt wonderful, and I just stood there with my eyes closed, letting the heat soak into me. I ducked my head under the water and let it run over my face and hair. It was delicious.

I knew he was going to help me, but I didn't expect Ranger to strip down and get into the shower with me. I mean, it wasn't like we hadn't taken showers together before, but they'd always been sexual experiences, usually with one or the other of us on our knees, among other interesting positions.

This time it was totally different, with no sexual overtones at all. Ranger lathered up a washcloth with soap, and gently but efficiently slid it over my body. I closed my eyes again and just let him take care of me. By the time he finished rinsing the conditioner out of my hair, I was so relaxed that I could barely stay vertical.

I leaned against the tiles and watched him through slitted eyes. He quickly soaped himself up and then held his face up to the water, running his hands through his hair to rinse off. He was beautiful and I fought the urge to wrap myself around him and just hold on.

He reached past me to turn off the water, and that brought us pretty much chest to chest, the evidence of how much he was enjoying the shower throbbing against my belly.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me," I whispered to him.

He bent and barely touched his lips to mine. "Believe me, it was my pleasure." He ran his fingers through my wet hair, pushing it back from my face. "When I got there yesterday, and saw the SUV, I didn't think I'd ever have a chance to take care of you again."

"That bad?"

"Worse."

I shivered, but I didn't know if it was from being cold or from the brush with death that I didn't even remember. Ranger stepped out of the shower and grabbed a couple of towels, quickly drying me off with one, and then wrapping it around me. He used another to blot the water out of my hair, and then wrapped a third one around his own waist.

I stumbled getting out of the shower. The hot water, and probably the effect of Ranger's personal force field, had turned my knees to jelly. He scooped me up in his arms and I automatically laid my head on his shoulder as he carried me out the bathroom. He only took a step or two and stopped short in the middle of the hospital room.

I heard a gasp and turned my head to see my mother shoot to her feet from the chair she'd been sitting in. "Oh, my goodness!"

"Um, hi Mom!" I said, feeling sick to my stomach all over again.

Her eyes were wide and two bright pink spots bloomed on her cheeks. "I ... uh … I'm … um … I came to see if you were all right." Mom was totally flustered and looked at the floor, the ceiling, the wall, anyplace but at Ranger. "I can see that you're in good hands." Ranger ducked his head and grinned and mom's face got redder. "Oh no! I didn't mean … Oh my!"

"It's okay. I just needed some help in the shower and Ranger came to the rescue. We weren't … you know." I said, making matters worse.

My mother turned and looked at the door. "You two should probably hurry and get dressed. You have about two minutes before all hell breaks loose," she said.

"Is Daddy coming?" I asked, slightly panicked.

"Worse," my mother shook her head. "Your grandmother!"

I felt Ranger shudder as he put me down. I grabbed the duffle bag and dumped it on the bed, practically throwing him the clothes that Ella had packed for him, and shoved him toward the bathroom. I knew that Ranger feared neither man nor beast, but my grandmother fell into a whole different category.

My mother helped me dress, so by the time Grandma came into the room, we were both fully clothed. Luckily, she was followed not a minute later by the orderly with a wheelchair to take me for the CAT scan. Grandma may be old, but she doesn't miss a trick, and she noted our wet hair, waggled her eyebrows, and gave me a wink. I just rolled my eyes.

"You take good care of my granddaughter," Grandma Mazur pointed a finger at Ranger. "Her car burning up, and this 'accident', sound like funny business to me!"

"Yes Ma'am," he replied. "That's why my men and I are here, to make sure she's safe." Grandma was dead serious and all business, no leering at Ranger, or commenting on his 'package'. I'm pretty sure Ranger was beyond relieved.

The orderly wheeled me out the door and we all trooped down the hall to the elevator with my bodyguard, Tank, drawing up the rear. We all shared an elevator, with me and my entourage getting off first. Grandma held the door open, and as Tank stepped off, she grabbed his butt. Tank didn't react in any way. Poor Tank.

"Mother!" I heard Mom gasp.

"Kill joy," Grandma groused. "He's got a butt I could just sink my teeth into!"

"I'm warning you, if Frank catches wind of this, he'll ship you off to Leisure Village!" my mother said in exasperation as the elevator doors closed.

"I'll be expecting Hazardous Duty pay for that," Tank muttered to Ranger as they marched down the hall behind my wheelchair.

"You've earned it," Ranger replied, slapping Tank on the back, clearly relieved that he hadn't been the target of Grandma Mazur's attentions.

Two hours later, armed with instructions from the doctor to get a massage or two, take Advil as needed, and not to drive for a week, the Merry Men snuck me out of the hospital through the food service entrance and into Ranger's truck.

We took a new route back to RangeMan, I guess to make sure we weren't followed. Finally, Ranger turned a corner, drove half a block, pulled into RangeMan's underground garage, and he parked in his reserved spot in front of the elevator. Ranger had four spots for his personal vehicles. He currently had the Porsche Turbo, a Porsche Cayenne, and the customized F150 truck we were in. A shiny black Mercedes SUV with fancy wheels was in the fourth space. I took one look and fell in lust.

Ranger shut the truck down, leaned an arm on the steering wheel and turned toward me. "If you looked at me with half as much longing as you're looking at the Mercedes, I'd take you upstairs and make you wish you never had to leave my bed."

I only looked at him that way when his back was turned. But he didn't need to know that. I didn't want to feed his ego. "Just for the record, I already never want to leave your bed. I'm in love with your million thread count sheets!" I quipped, staring at the SUV. Ranger knew I knew that sheets weren't what he was talking about.

"So, is the Mercedes for me?" I asked.

"Yes."

"And the bed … I'd have to leave it eventually, wouldn't I?"

"That would be up to you," Ranger said.

I turned to look at him in surprise, to see if he was joking. But he wasn't laughing, not even smiling, just watching me closely. Ranger had never said anything like that to me before, even in jest. He'd always made it clear that he wanted me in his bed. He'd also made it clear that there would be an expiration date on that invitation.

I looked back at the Mercedes. "Why do you give me cars?"

"It's fun," Ranger said. "And it keeps you safe. Do you want to know why keeping you safe is important to me?"

"Because you're emotionally attached to me?" I asked.

He nodded. "And …?"

I hesitated for a couple of very long seconds. "You love me?" I whispered, looking into his eyes.

"Yes."

I just couldn't bring myself to say the words back to him. I'd loved him, been in love with him for … I don't know how long, but I'd tried to keep it tucked away, hidden even from myself. If I didn't say it out loud, if I didn't tell him, or let the Universe hear me say it, then it wasn't real and I couldn't get hurt.

I'd survived all the regular disappointments and heartbreaks life threw at me. I'd survived Dickie, and I'd survived Joe. But I knew, in my heart of hearts, that I couldn't survive Ranger.

And he said he loved me, or I said it and he agreed. He didn't qualify it like he usually did. But was his definition of love the same as mine? I mean, he loved his family and his cars and his friends … I had to wonder if I was listed under that heading.

He watched me, reading my face like a book. As if to answer all the questions I'd asked myself, he slid his arm across my seat back, leaned forward, and kissed me. He ended the kiss and our eyes held. And I'm pretty sure he knew he'd smoked the Mercedes he'd given me.

Ella was waiting for us when we got upstairs and the aroma of comfort food made my mouth water. She hustled us into the dining room and she ladled me out a huge bowls of homemade chicken soup. Filled with big chunks of chicken and carrots and celery and potatoes in a savory broth, it was heavenly. Thick, crusty bread, slathered with butter, and in deference to Ranger, a salad, rounded out the meal. I ate every bite, then propped my chin in my hand and promptly dozed off.

Ranger steered me from the dining room into the bedroom and I changed into pajamas in the dressing room. I came out and swallowed the Advil that Ranger handed me before I climbed into his big, beautiful bed.

"I'll be down on four, Steph. We have a job tonight and I need to catch a couple hours sleep. I'll check on you before I leave, but call if you need me." I guess it had been a stress-filled twenty-four hours for him, too, and it showed in the lines around his eyes.

He bent down and kissed me, just brushing his lips across mine. I summoned up the courage and said, "Why don't you just sleep here. It isn't a sexual invitation," I said with a grin. "I'm not in any shape to jump you."

"Sounds good." He smiled back at me and headed for the dressing room.

I shimmied down under the covers and rolled over onto my side. I was just dozing off when Ranger came back into the bedroom … wearing his black silk boxers. Suddenly I wasn't sleepy anymore. He got into bed and I tried to roll over, away from him, basically because I didn't want him to see me drooling all over the pillow. It's embarrassing, you know?

I groaned a little and winced as I moved and just couldn't get comfortable. Ranger reached out and ran the flat of his hand up my back to my shoulder, massaging gently. "Oh, that's wonderful!" I let out a long contented sigh and felt my muscles relax.

"Roll over on your stomach," he said, sitting up to ease the pillow out from under my head so I could lay flat. He pulled the covers down below my waist, and straddled my butt without putting any weight on me.

"What are you …" was all I got out as he slowly ran his hands under my pajama top, up my back, massaging his way to my shoulders. This time I groaned in absolute pleasure. By the third or fourth pass, my eyes were crossed, and by the tenth, I was out like a light.

The far away beep-beep-beep of the alarm on Ranger's watch roused me. I was warm and comfy and contented and wanted nothing more than to snuggle down against Ranger and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, Ranger had other plans and was gently extricating himself from the tangle of our arms and legs.

"Nooo, don't go," I grumbled into his neck. He was warm and sexy and smelled so good. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered that he had a job that night, and when I cracked an eye open, the room was dark. It must have been time for him to leave.

He pulled the covers back up over me, tucking them around me. "You go back to sleep," he whispered. He kissed me on the forehead and slipped out of bed. A minute later I heard the shower go on.

When I opened my eyes again, Ranger was sitting on the edge of the bed in full SWAT gear, Kevlar and all. "Your cell phone is on the night table, gun's in the drawer. You gonna be okay by yourself?"

I just nodded my head. "I'm fine."

"Okay then, I'll see you at breakfast," he brushed the hair out of my face and pressed his lips against my temple.

"Don't get shot," I told him.

"Don't go crazy," he said back, and he bent to kiss me again, on the mouth this time. I was probably asleep before he got out of the apartment and didn't wake up until Ella knocked on the bedroom door to tell me that she'd brought breakfast.

I was already at the table, coffee in hand, when Ranger came in and sat down. From the looks of him, I'd have said that he'd been up all night. I watched him over the rim of my coffee cup.

"How did it go last night?" I asked him.

He leaned back in his chair. "Not the way I expected," he said, exhaling a deep breath through his nose. Ranger closed his eyes and absently rubbed his forehead. That surprised me because I didn't think Ranger would ever fall victim to anything as mundane as a headache.

"Are you okay?" I knew something was up. There was definitely something on his mind.

He just nodded his head and gave me his almost smile. "Just tired. How are _you _feeling this morning?"

"Like a new woman," I smiled at him and popped the end of a buttery croissant into my mouth. "It's amazing what a massage and sixteen hours of sleep can do for a person."

"Do you feel up to coming downstairs and looking at some video?" he actually hesitated a second or two. "It's of the accident."

We both knew that he used the term euphemistically. There was nothing accidental about that crash. The thought of reliving it made my stomach clench, but it might fill in some of the blank spots I still had.

"Oh sure," I shrugged, trying for nonchalance. I picked up the coffee carafe and filled his cup.

"I don't want it to upset you," he watched me closely.

"Why would it? I mean, Cal and I both got out alive," I said, stating the obvious, around a mouthful of hash browns.

He cocked an eyebrow at me, seeing right through my false bravado. "Stephanie, we both know that it was another attempt on your life."

"Yeah, and we both know that you think that you should be able to protect me from all of that. Since I became a bounty hunter, my life has been riddled with stalkers, and exploding cars, and loony-toons of all shapes and sizes. This is no different, just one more to add to the list." I started to get up to go get dressed.

"All right then, as long as you're sure. But finish your breakfast first."

"And you start yours," I nodded at the silver dome that still covered his plate.

"Yes ma'am," he replied with a grin, lifting the cover.

An hour later, we took the elevator down to the third floor. One of the conference rooms had been turned into the video geeks' paradise. The room was dominated by a huge TV screen and filled with all kinds of equipment, most of which I couldn't even identify, much less tell you what it was used for. All I knew is that this was the place where problems with surveillance videos were tackled.

Chester Deuce, who I'd met when I was helping Ranger investigate that string of break-ins on RangeMan clients, was the head geek here. He'd helped me out a couple of times, getting me still shots of some of my skips from surveillance videos.

Tank, Cal, Lester, and Bobby were already in the room when Ranger and I walked in. Cal looked over his shoulder, saw me, and jumped up from his chair. He crossed the room to me, wrapping me in a bear hug. "I sure am glad to see you on your feet, Steph. When we smacked heads and you got knocked out, I thought I killed you. Man, I panicked."

I stood on my tip toes and laid my head on his shoulder, hugging him back. "Everybody else says you saved my life, so I'm going with that." I kissed him on the cheek. "Are you okay?" His flaming skull tattoo looked a little swollen, I guess from when we clunked into each other.

"Oh yeah," he said, still hugging me. "My back's still a little sore, but a trip to the chiropractor and a massage'll take care of that. How 'bout you?"

I cut my eyes to Ranger, standing a few feet away, who sent back his almost smile. I was betting that Cal wouldn't get a massage as good as the one I got. Unless it was the kind with the happy ending, of course.

Lester was the next in line. His flash burns from being exploded along with my car were almost completely healed, and his hair was starting to grow back. I gave him a hug and kiss and he rubbed his cheek against mine. "See? Smooth as a baby's butt!"

"Yep! And just as cute," I said. "And your head has a five o'clock shadow. Another couple of weeks and you'll be totally back to normal."

Bobby snorted. "Poor choice of words, Steph. Lester and normal in the same sentence? Nah!" he laughed.

Ranger looked at Chester and gave him a nod.

"Okay people, it's show time," Chester announced.

"Who's got the popcorn?" Lester yelled and pulled me down into the chair next to him, slung his arm around my shoulders and stage whispered, "We're in the back row, we can neck and pet!" He leered at me and 'walked' two fingers over my shoulder and down toward my breast.

I laughed out loud when Ranger growled, "Knock it off, Santos!" from right behind us. Lester crossed his arms over his chest and pretended to sulk.

"What we have here is video from all the security cameras that caught the get-away of the driver of the lead car that trapped Cal and Steph in the intersection," Chet told us. "The area has lots of businesses, restaurants, a strip mall, a movie theater, a beauty shop each with their own security cameras that monitor their parking lots and the street. This is a composite of all those videos. Lights, please."

The room went dark and the big screen lit up. We watched the car that had stopped in front of our SUV, trapping us in the intersection. The driver jumped out, vaulted across the hood and jogged off through the parking lot. The video was pieced together from at least a dozen separate cameras, changing view point, distance, color, contrast, and quality, but all showing the same guy.

The driver left the scene, running through a parking lot, turning behind the strip mall, jumping a fence into an alley and cutting through to the next street. He ducked into a store and was picked up coming out the back door, running down the alley and cutting through another store. Along the way he tossed his gloves into a trash can, and pitched his hoodie into a Dumpster. He pulled a ball cap out of his back pocket, slipped on shades, flipped open his cell phone, sauntered across the street, and turned the corner. Cameras had followed him for almost half a mile. Not once was there a clear shot of his face.

"Okay, folks, tape number two coming up!" Chester announced. Lester turned to me, waggled his partially grown-in eyebrows, and made little kissy noises at me. It earned him a, "That's two!" from Ranger.

The next tape started, this one following the driver of the semi. He jumped down from the cab and slid into the crush of on-lookers who stood gawking at the SUV. He worked his way to the back of the crowd and edged away, walking backwards, putting distance between himself and the crash scene. When he was far enough away, he turned tail and ran.

"Hey," Lester piped up. "They're both dressed like the guys who booby-trapped Steph's car at Quakerbridge Mall. I got a bone to pick with them!" He leaned forward to watch the screen more closely.

Just like the first guy, Driver #2 escaped over fences, down alleys, and through stores, getting rid of his hoodie and gloves, putting on sunglasses and knit cap as he went. He followed a different route, and was videoed by different cameras, until he turned a corner and met up with the first guy. They laughed and did a complicated handshake, obviously congratulating each other on the success of their mission.

Talking and laughing, they waited in a doorway until a customized BMW wheeled up. The driver got out and climbed into the back seat, guy number one got into the front passenger seat, and the semi driver walked around to the driver's door. Before he got behind the wheel, he scanned the street … and turned straight into a security camera.

Stunned, I stood up and took a step toward the TV. "Son of a bitch!" I muttered. Grinning at me from the TV screen was the driver of the eighteen-wheeler who had tried to flatten Cal and me into pancakes. None other than my good buddy … Antoine!

The surprise only lasted for a minute, quickly replaced by … well, _anger _just didn't begin to describe it! I turned to Ranger and pointed, straight armed, at the screen. "He … that's … I'm …" I couldn't even get the words out of my mouth. I spun back to the TV and screamed in frustration.

Of course, I had a lot of company. All of the Merry Men were ready to hunt Antoine down, too, and I knew that when they finally found him, it was _not_ gonna be pretty. After all, he had suckered each and every one of us, Ranger included. For a smart guy, that was a pretty dumb move.

After D'Wayne and his crew had been shot down, Antoine had made a deal with Ranger to get him and his dogs out of Dodge in exchange for information about Abruzzi's murder. RangeMan had ferried him to a safe house in Baltimore, and the SOB had snuck away, without telling us what he knew. I couldn't believe that he'd snookered me so completely, that I'd actually felt sorry for him. How stupid could I get? Don't answer that.

I plunked down in a chair and rubbed my aching forehead. Ranger came over and sat next to me. "Word on the street is that Antoine's been back in Trenton for a while now," he said. "And there's no question that he was behind both attempts on your life." He picked up my hand and wove his fingers through mine. "It's a good thing you missed that first phone call he made to you. You might not be here now."

All I could do was nod.

"Yesterday, we got a tip that Antoine was hiding out at an abandoned business park. Unfortunately, when we got there last night, he'd already moved on."

I turned to look at Ranger. I'd just realized what last night's 'job' had been. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He gave me his almost smile. "You needed to sleep."

I blew out a sigh and leaned my head against his shoulder. Chester cleared his throat and I sat up. "Excuse me for interrupting, but what do you want me to do with the rest of these tapes?" he asked Ranger.

"Make copies for the TPD and DPS, and send the stills to every RangeMan computer. I want everyone to know who we're looking for."

"On it, Boss."

"Say, Chester," I had a thought. "Do you have the whole crash on video?"

"Sure," he answered.

"And the whole rescue and everything?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said cautiously, cutting his eyes to Ranger.

"I want to see it." I hated having that big blank spot in my memory. The doctor had said it could take a while for me to remember what happened, but patience wasn't my long suit, and I wanted to know … _right now_!

For some reason I was nervous and couldn't sit still, pacing the room while Chester set up the video. "You ready?" he asked. I nodded and stood in front of the TV, Ranger right behind me.

It was like watching the rerun of a TV show. I mean, I knew what was going to happen. And probably because I had no real memory of it, I felt oddly detached from what was happening on the screen. I watched our SUV inch into the intersection like I was a spectator, like I wasn't involved at all.

That changed when the semi smashed into the shiny black SUV, tipping it over on its side and pushing it, roof first, into the light pole. I instinctively took a step back, right into Ranger. My stomach clenched and rolled, and I swallowed hard to fight off a wave of nausea. Ranger hands settled on my shoulders, squeezing gently.

"Chester," Ranger ordered. "Cut it. That's enough."

"No, no. I want to see this. I need to know what happened." I looked over my shoulder at Ranger.

"How about I speed it up?" Chester suggested. "That way you can see it all but it won't drag out?" I nodded and Chester tapped away on his lap top.

Tank and Ramon raced to the battered SUV and climbed up on the side, trying to open the crushed doors. People got out of their vehicles, a cop car wheeled up, two men pulled out the shattered windshield, and helped Cal crawl out.

Even before the firemen and rescue workers arrived, Ranger was there. I hadn't realized that he'd been at the scene, only at the hospital. He lay on the ground, half in, half out of the SUV. My eyes were riveted to the screen and without realizing it, I reached up and covered his hands with mine.

Ranger leaned his head against mine. "I couldn't get you out," he said softly, and I could hear the strain in his voice.

Rescue workers and firemen crawled all over the SUV like ants. Tow trucks hooked up to the semi and pulled it off the SUV. A fireman pried the rear door open and Ranger worked his way through the crushed vehicle to the front seat, to me, I guess. Firemen, bystanders, Merry Men, and cops all worked together to tip the SUV back onto its wheels as gently as possible. The Jaws of Life made an appearance, forcing the roof up and tearing the passenger door off. Ranger climbed out with me in his arms. The EMTs slid me onto a backboard and I was whisked away.

I drew a shuddering breath and Ranger snapped at Chester, "That's enough!"

Just before the screen went dark, I saw the flames shoot out from underneath the SUV. "Oh God!" I breathed, my eyes stinging from unshed tears.

Ranger turned me to face him, his expression grim. "Don't go there," he said, giving me a little shake. "I mean it!" He folded me in his arms and just held me. For once in my life, I had no problem following orders!

The rest of the day was much calmer. We went back upstairs for a while, but Ranger had a lot of work to catch up on, so he went downstairs to his office, and I just killed time until dinner. I checked my forty-seven voice mails and answered the most important ones, like Mom and Dad and Grandma.

Detective Rinaldi had left a message, and I reluctantly called him back. I still didn't know how I felt about the man, and I wasn't sure that I trusted him at all. But he just asked how I was doing, and told me to be careful. I didn't mention Antoine at all.

I chatted with Mary Lou and Lula and Connie and Val, promising a girl's night here at RangeMan. I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to be the main attraction, not with all the buff male bodies roaming around. Maybe we could just take a couple of bottles of wine and some snacks down to the gym and watch the guys work out? That'd be like the RangeMan version of Chippendale's, right?

After dinner I curled up on the couch with Ranger and we watched a movie, but by ten o'clock, I was wiped out. Ranger went back to his office, and I crawled into bed, wondering vaguely where he planned on sleeping tonight. I didn't even remember turning out the light.

I was driving down Hamilton Avenue on my way to Vinnie's, to show off my shiny new Mercedes SUV to the girls. Out of nowhere, a huge eighteen-wheeler came up behind me and tried to plow right over me. Terrified, I swerved into the Burg, and the truck wasn't behind me anymore. When I looked up, though, there it was, coming straight at me. I turned, flying up and down familiar streets, but everywhere I went, there was that truck … in front of me, along side of me, behind me … I couldn't get away from it! And then I was trapped with nowhere to go and the truck was bearing down on me, trying to smash through the window to get me, a laughing Antoine behind the wheel. I threw my arms up in front of my face and screamed ….

I was sitting bolt upright, gasping for breath, my heart trying to hammer its way out of my chest. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a nightmare, but I'd sure as hell remember this one. If I ever got my hands on Antoine, I'd make him pay for it.

I practically fell out of bed, trying to turn on the bedside lamp, and I stumbled into the living room. I sunk into the couch and did some channel surfing, looking for a diversion. I settled on a West Coast ball game. I watched for ten minutes but couldn't get involved. I channel-surfed some more. I looked down at the floor. Ranger was three floors below me.

I shut the television off, crawled back into bed, and ordered myself to go to sleep. A half hour later I was still awake. Ranger's bedroom felt safe, but it gave no comfort. Ella had changed the sheets so the pillow didn't smell like him. And Antoine's sneering face kept popping into my brain. A tear slid out of my eye. Jeez. What was the deal with the tears! It wasn't even that time of the month. Maybe it was my diet. Not enough Tastykakes. Too many vegetables.

It was 3 am. I got out of bed, grabbed my keys, and took the elevator to the fourth floor. I marched across the hall and knocked on Ranger's door. I was ready to knock a second time when he opened the door. He was bare-footed and bare-chested, his cargo pants unbuttoned and only partially zipped. My mouth went dry, and my panties went damp. Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea after all.

"It's lonely on the seventh floor," I said, and a great big fat tear slid down my cheek. Dammit! I looked down at my bare feet.

"Ordinarily I'd take that as a sexual invitation, but considering the tears, I'm going to guess you had a nightmare." He wiped the tear off my cheek.

I gave a nod and a shrug, and still couldn't meet his eyes. "I was hoping I could sleep on your couch."

Ranger pulled me into his apartment and locked the door. "If you're sleeping here, you're sleeping with me," he said, towing me across the room to his bed. He held up the covers and I crawled in. "But I'm not going to be responsible for my actions if you fondle me again when I'm sleeping," he added, turning off the lights.

"I didn't fondle you! I just couldn't resist those black silk boxers of yours," I said, sounding very virtuous.

"Hmmmm. Too bad they're up in the penthouse," he said, unzipping and dropping his cargoes before he got into bed.

I bit my lip and smiled in the dark, thinking about the black silk boxers that Ranger _wasn't_ wearing.

TBC …

Okay, the Muse hasn't returned, but the writer's block seems to be gone. That's a good thing. So, R and S are finally starting to understand each other, don't you think? He's really making an effort to show her how he feels, he's even told her he loves her … sort of … What do you think he needs to do to convince her that he wants more? Tell me what you'd like to see him do.

As always, thank you to everyone who read and reviewed and hung in there with me and Love. I appreciate you more than you'll ever know! I'm on a roll now, so hopefully, more soon!

Stayce


	31. When A Man Loves A Woman!

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

_Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated._

_Warning: Language, Smut, Quotes from all 16 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse, Writer's Block …_

_A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, I hope your hand heals quickly and you can get back to typing soon; to Miranda, Resident Expert on The Little, Brown Handbook, Thanks for the Commas, Hyphens, Pink Passages and the Edit, to Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, and to everyone who has read and reviewed Love. I love you all … Thanks, Babes. _

_And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story._

Love knows no limit to its endurance,

No end to its trust,

No fading of its hope;

It can outlast anything.

Love still stands when all else has fallen.

Anonymous

Chapter 31: When A Man Loves A Woman!

I came awake slowly, floating up through layers of sleep, to semi-consciousness. Something woke me, but I didn't know what. I lay there for a minute before I decided that the wind driven sleet, pinging against the windows like BBs, was the culprit. Either that or it was Ranger's hand that had slipped under my thermal pajama top and was curled possessively around my bare breast. No matter, I wasn't complaining.

Ranger and I were spooned together, his arms holding me close, his leg thrown over mine. I felt all safe and warm and cozy, wrapped in my Ranger cocoon. With a contented sigh, I snuggled back against him and let the slow, steady beat of his heart lull me off to sleep again, thinking that I could seriously get used to this.

I must have turned over at some point because when I woke up again, I was facing Ranger. My head was on his shoulder, my arm around his waist, our legs tangled together. My hand was low enough on his back to confirm that Ranger was still naked, and I peeked under the blanket to make sure that I wasn't. Naked, that is.

He still had his arms around me, only this time, his hand was cupping my butt… under my pajama bottoms. The man always said he was an opportunist. I guess even sleep didn't prevent him from taking the opportunity to cop a feel.

I, on the other hand, was way too chicken-shit to be an opportunist, at least where Ranger was concerned. I definitely considered letting my hands roam over his amazing body. I mean, all that silken skin over rock hard muscle? Puhleese! But Ranger had warned me that if I fondled him while he was sleeping … again, he wouldn't be responsible for his actions. And let's face it, we all know what those actions would be. No way was I ready for that. At least, not quite yet!

I pulled back ever so slightly so that I could look at Ranger's face. He was still asleep, his breathing slow and even, and I had a rare chance to study him. His hair had fallen across his forehead, and his eyelashes were dark smudges against his cheeks. Ranger was always on alert, always on guard, and sleep softened his features. He looked younger, almost vulnerable, and my heart did a little flutter in my chest. I fluttered in a couple of other places, too.

So much had changed between us since I moved into RangeMan. I'd been so angry, felt so betrayed, and was so ready to hate Ranger's guts, especially after he made that damned deal with Joe. But all the things that I was so sure would happen, was so _afraid_ would happen … hadn't.

Ranger didn't take advantage of me when he could have. He gave me his word and kept it. He'd told me that all the decisions about what happened between us would be mine. And so far, they had been. He hadn't pressured me at all. Instead, he'd been relaxed and funny and sexy and flirty. It was like he'd been making a concerted effort to win back my trust.

And I'd have to say it was working pretty well, too. After that awful nightmare last night, when I was scared and panicked, I ran straight to Ranger for comfort and safety, just like I would have before things got so bad between us. I guess that meant we were on the road back to … normal … whatever normal was for us.

But I wasn't the only one who changed. Ranger changed, too. I mean, he _always_ made sure I was safe and protected. He provided cars, and back up for take downs, and a place to hide out if I needed it. He'd show up or call to make sure I was okay when some new calamity befell me. He'd rescued me, and bled money for me, and bled blood for me, too. He was always there when I needed him.

So maybe this was the emotional attachment he'd told me about, but the normally cool, calm, collected Man in Black was now getting really intense when my safety was at issue. He'd stomped around and barked orders at me about guns and security, demanded that I accept bodyguards and chase cars and panic buttons.

Hell, thanks to Ranger, I had trackers coming out my ears … in my car, in my purse, in my phone, in my … I don't even want to think about where else. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd had me fitted with the human version of a Lojack while I wasn't looking.

And now, he'd moved beyond just keeping me safe. Now he was taking care of me, too. That felt different. It felt personal and 'hands on'. And those hands had been gentle and caring and … loving even.

When we'd been in the shower together at the hospital, he'd acted like I was … I don't know, fragile? He'd been so careful not to hurt me. And later, that massage could have turned sexual in a heartbeat. But he didn't let it.

Instead, he was giving me what I needed. I mean really, how many men would climb into bed with you and hold you all night, without putting the moves on you, just so that you could sleep peacefully?

And then there were all the questions I'd asked him. I had pried into his life and his heart, something I'd never really done before. I blamed that on concussion-induced insanity. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now that I'm in my right mind, not so much. It could have backfired big time.

Sure, those questions, and lots more, have buzzed around in my head for a long time. And yes, I was dying for the answers. But I also knew that if I pressed him, he'd just shut down, so I always respected his need for privacy. I spent a lot of time and energy tip-toeing around those issues. Who knew that all I had to do was ask, and he'd answer? Mind-boggling.

Ranger always said that there was no price for what we gave each other. Not financial and not emotional. But there was a price, there was _always_ a price. And it must have cost him a lot to share all that personal information with me. After all the years of playing the Man of Mystery and guarding his privacy, I still couldn't figure out why he suddenly opened up like that?

The video of the crash had been the real eye-opener, though. I realized that Ranger could have, probably _should_ have, stood on the sidelines and waited for the firefighters and rescue squad to do their jobs and pry me out of the wreckage. That would have been the safest and smartest thing for him to do.

But he wasn't thinking about safe or smart when he crawled into that crushed SUV. He was thinking about _me, _trapped and terrified in the flipped over vehicle, the crumpled dashboard and the buckled roof holding me hostage. He had to have known that he couldn't get me out of there. So what, he risked his life just so I wouldn't be alone? I honestly didn't know what to do with that.

It all came down to why … why was he acting like this? Was he trying to tell me something? I mean, Ranger isn't a chatty kind of guy. We'd never sat down and had a long heart-to-heart talk about feelings, or _anything _for that matter. He was definitely the 'actions speak louder than words' type. So what were his actions saying?

No matter how much I thought about it, I could only come up with one thing. One very scary, wonderful, terrifying thing. Ranger was trying to show me he loved me. I mean _really _loved me. I was stunned, overwhelmed. Could I be right? Could that be it? I studied Ranger's face as if I was going to find all the answers there.

"I smell something burning," he said suddenly, startling me so badly that I almost jumped out of my skin. "And I know exactly what you're thinking about, too."

"Do not!" I shot back, panicked. Oh, God! Please don't let him know! Please, please, please! I'll go to Mass on Sunday, I'll be nice to my sleazebag cousin Vinnie, I'll go take care of lepers, I'm already celibate, so I can't use that as a bargaining chip, but I'll give up my super turbo model shower massager, I'll swear off birthday cake. _Pleeeease_, I'm _begging _you!

"Sure I do." His eyes were warm and sleepy. His smile matched. "You were wondering if you could get away with fondling me in my sleep, weren't you?"

Thank you, God! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I felt my heart start beating again. "Uh! I was not!" I said in mock insult and tried to wriggle away from him. "You sure are full of yourself this morning."

He laughed, deep and sexy, and tightened his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. He threw his leg over mine so I couldn't escape.

"Ummmm," I'd be a whole lot happier if _you_ were full of _me_ this morning," he said, nuzzling my ear and the side of my face.

"You wish!" I snorted, trying to ignore his heavy length pressed into my thigh … without much success. He kept on nuzzling and nibbling his way down my neck.

"It's a sin to waste a good morning woody!"

I barked a laugh and gave him a smack on the shoulder. "So, how come you didn't go running this morning?" I asked, trying to distract him and myself, too. "You go every morning! It's like … your religion. Why weren't you out there at 5:30am, de-defying the elements?" I stuttered as he teased the shell of my ear with the tip of his tongue.

"I was going to," he said, kissing his way along my jaw. "I looked out the window at the weather," he rolled me over onto my back, his dark eyes smiling down at me, and I seemed to lose the drift of the conversation. Lifting my hair, he nipped the other side of my neck, and my eyes rolled back in my head. "And then I looked at you, all curled up in bed. Rain and sleet, or warm bed and Stephanie? No contest," he said and slid his lips from my chin, down to lave the hollow of my throat.

"So what? Now I'm leading you into temptation?" I gasped out and arched my neck to give him room to work.

"Woman, you could tempt the Devil himself," he murmured and touched the corner of my mouth with his tongue, making me shiver.

"Umm, do you prefer to be called Satan or Mephistopheles?" I grinned and looped my arms around his neck.

"You think I'm the Devil, huh?" He looked down at me, all dark eyes and sardonic smile, his fingers threading into my hair.

"Oh, yeah!" I said with a breathy laugh.

"Well then," he said roughly. "Let me prove it to you." His eyes never leaving mine, he slowly bent his head to kiss me. I let my eyes drift shut and my lips part. But instead of a kiss, he gave a wicked laugh and rubbed his stubbly cheek against mine. I squealed and covered my face, trying to escape a case of beard burn. "Stop!" I shrieked.

"This better?" he laughed, and pulled my hands away so he could run a trail of kisses over my face, forehead, eyelids, cheeks, and chin before finding my mouth. I fisted a hand in his hair, and we melted into each other. By the time the kiss broke, I was breathless. He kept on kissing, my mouth, my chin, under my jaw and down my throat. If there was an award for kissing, that man would win hands down.

Ranger hooked a finger in the neck of my pajama top, pulling it aside to kiss down to the swell of my breast and then back up to my mouth. "You taste so good," he said, and his tongue touched the side of my neck, making me shiver. He worked the spot below my ear until I was practically writhing under him.

With a sudden move, he flipped us over so that I was on top. I pushed on his chest until I sat up, straddling him, his hands on my waist. He gave me a lusty smirk, and his hands slowly moved up.

"Hey! Your hand just moved to my breast."

"You're so soft," Ranger said, his thumb brushing across my nipple.

I got a rush, followed by a lot of desire spread all over the place. "Oh," I heard myself murmur. "That feels good."

"Jeez," I said, coming to my senses. I really needed to put a stop to this, this was dangerous territory, and I slapped his hands away.

"I almost had you." Ranger said.

"I'm not ready for you!"

He wrapped his arms around me and rolled over so he was on top again, settled between my thighs. "That's too bad because I'm ready for you!" he said, and he kissed me. If what I felt throbbing against me was any indication, oh boy, was he ever ready!

My eight million slut hormones surged to life. The pump had been primed and there was only one thin layer of flannel separating us and he was almost right where I needed him to be. All the heat in my body seemed to pool between my legs, right where he was. All I had to do was lift my hips a little and … I groaned, and he kissed me again.

"I have fantasies about finding you in my bed … touching you," he murmured between kisses. "Tasting you." He fisted a hand in my hair, pressed his mouth against my ear, his voice low and dangerous. "Doing bad things to you." He sank his teeth into my shoulder, and I think I had a mini-orgasm.

If I'd been wearing panties, that would have ruined them. My stomach muscles clenched, and my mouth went dry as my imagination took off into orbit. He kissed me again, long and hard, his tongue stroking deep into my mouth, and I felt my bones liquefy.

Ranger slid down my body while his hands slowly moved up my rib cage, pushing up my pajama top. His mouth followed his hands, touching every inch of skin as he exposed it. I held my breath as his lips brushed across my ribs, leaving soft, hot kisses on my bare skin.

His mouth moved down over my belly, and his fingers curled into the waistband of my pajama bottoms, inching them lower and lower. It had been so long, so long, and I was breathless with anticipation. Every nerve ending I owned was on fire, every hormone was screaming, every muscle was quivering. Just one touch was all it would take, and I'd go flying over the edge.

Inches short of the Promised Land, Ranger froze in mid-kiss, instantly alert. His head snapped up, turning slightly, like a wild animal tracking whatever it was he heard, his hand reaching for the gun on the night table.

He listened for a few long seconds then he relaxed, dropped a final kiss on my stomach and fixed my pajamas. Rolling off me, he slid out of bed and stepped into his cargoes, leaving me lying there, all hot and bothered.

And slowly I came back to the here and now. Confusion, frustration, and disappointment all rolled into one. All I could think of was grabbing his gun, pointing it at his head, and making him finish what he started.

"What …?"

"Ella's bringing breakfast," he said by way of explanation. "She just called the elevator."

I listened, but couldn't hear a thing over my heart hammering in my chest. "I, uh, I guess I better, um … upstairs … go." I was having trouble stringing words together into a coherent sentence. I sat up and looked around for my robe.

But Ranger just smiled at me and motioned to me to stay put. "Relax," he said. "Ella's on her way down here. You can have breakfast in bed. I'm going to hit the shower first."

"Wait! How does she know I'm here?" I asked, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, watching him.

Ranger shook his head at me. "Babe, the whole building knows you're here. _Boston and Miami_ know you're here. My relatives in _Cuba_ probably know you're here." He smiled at the stunned expression on my face. "I got a call from the Control Room last night even before you got on the elevator."

Oh, crap! The cameras! I forgot all about the friggin' cameras. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Just looking at Ranger's men could scare the bejeezus out of the most hardened criminal. They looked hard and heartless, handsome but deadly. Who would have ever guessed that among their various talents, these guys were all world-class gossips who made the Burg grapevine look like a kids' game of Telephone. Give them a juicy piece of gossip, and you could hear communication satellites in outer space linking up as they spread the news.

I let out a long groan and flopped back on the bed, pulling the covers over my head. "Oh, God!" I whined. "Who was on the monitors last night?"

Ranger came back over to the bed and picked up the edge of the blanket, peeking under the covers at me. "Santos!" he said, flipping the blankets onto the floor. "I was probably the _last _one he informed that you were coming down here in the middle of the night." He gave me an evil grin. "They already think we're having hot, wild gorilla sex a dozen times a day. So don't worry. Your reputation is safe."

I sat bolt upright. "Guerilla se…" I practically choked on the words. My eyes rolled back, and I flopped down again, this time covering my head with a pillow. "Waddaya mean, 'my reputation'?"

Laughing, Ranger pulled the pillow off my face, tossing it over his shoulder. He bent over me and planted a hand on either side of my head. "Didn't you know you were a regular sex machine. Insatiable. A real nympho. The guys can't believe how lucky I am!"

I gaped at Ranger in shock! "You didn't ..." My eyes bugged out of my head. I was gonna kill him!

He just cocked that damned eyebrow at me. "I told you the men would talk. What do you think they're talking _about_, your shoes? Hell, Santos even started a blog!"

I whimpered, he grinned, ruffled my hair, then leaned down and kissed me stupid.

"Don't worry, they all probably think I called you down here last night to service me!" he said cheerfully. Ranger thought this was funny! I was going to maim Lester!

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" I whined at him. He was having just way too much fun at my expense! I swung the other bed pillow at him, but he ducked, and before I could wind up again, there was a knock on the door.

"Don't worry, it'll get taken care of," he said, gave me a quick smack on the lips, then went to open the door for Ella and the food cart.

Ella bustled in, left the cart by the table, and came over to me. "Would you like me to bring you breakfast in bed, dear?" she asked, concern written all over her face. Ranger gave me an 'I told you so' look from behind her.

"No thank you, Ella. I'm feeling a lot better this morning." I smiled and tried to untangle myself from the bed covers with some semblance of dignity.

Ella looked around at the blankets and pillows that had wound up on the floor, and I knew what she was thinking. I could feel my cheeks start to burn.

"It doesn't look like you got a lot of sleep last night," Ella said dryly and narrowed her eyes at Ranger. "The idea is to meet Stephanie's needs, not your own, you know," she said, shooting him a withering look that would have felled a lesser man. His eyes widened marginally. Ranger's version of shock. He just looked from her to me. I just stood there, looking innocent.

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud. I loved that Ella was on my side. She thought that Ranger was the Big Bad Wolf, taking advantage of poor Little Red Riding Hood. And she even had the guts to call him on it. I'd bet big bucks that she was the only person in the entire company who had the balls to confront him like that.

Probably I should tell her that she was wrong, huh? Nah! Served him right for teasing me. I grinned and wrinkled my nose at him behind Ella's back. My turn to have some fun.

Ranger went to take his shower, and I tried to help Ella set the table for breakfast, but she wouldn't have any part of it, making me sit down while she poured me a cup of coffee. We chatted about nothing in particular as she set the table with placemats and silverware and china.

The usual silver coffee service was on the food cart along with a pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice. She set out a bowl of fresh fruit, a basket of warm croissants, and little silver pots of butter and jam. Plates, covered with silver domes, sat on the food cart and delicious aromas filled the room, making my mouth water.

As soon as the shower come on, Ella turned and gave me the once over. "Are you really feeling better, dear, or did you just say that for Ranger's benefit?"

"No, really. I'm still a little light headed, and stiff and achy, but I'm definitely getting better."

"And everything is all right with you two?" She tipped her head toward the bathroom. "I know your relationship has been quite strained for a long while now."

"Actually, Ella, we're getting along better now than we have in a long time," I told her. My spidey sense suddenly kicked in. The one person who knew everything about everything going on at RangeMan, who knew all the secrets, all the gossip, what closets all the skeletons were hidden in, and where all the bodies were buried was Ella. "Why?" I asked suspiciously. "Is there something going on I should know about?"

"Not really," Ella said with a small shake of her head, "I'm sure you know that there's been a lot of talk going around the company since you moved in," Ella watched for my reaction. "Nothing serious, of course, just the boys' usual tasteless jokes."

"Oh, that. Ranger warned me that there would be a lot of … speculation. And considering how the Merry Men trash talk each other, I don't even wanna _know_ what they're saying about me." I did a one shoulder shrug. "I guess I should be flattered that they're treating me like one of the guys."

Ella smiled. "You know they all love you, dear, and would never do anything to hurt you." She took a deep breath. "That said, your trip down here from the seventh floor was caught on the security cameras last night," she sighed. "The boys are having a field day with that."

I put a finger to my twitching eye. "Oh, let me guess what they're saying. Uhhh, Ranger and I have been hanging from the chandeliers ten times a day? Oh, I know! Stephanie's a nymphomaniac! No, wait! I'm Ranger's sex slave and have to come running to 'service' him whenever he snaps his fingers?"

Ella didn't laugh, just came and sat down opposite me. "I don't mean to pry, Stephanie, but often there's an element of truth in gossip." She gave me a knowing look and reached across the table to lay a hand on my arm. "We all know how demanding Ranger can be, and when it comes to love, even the smartest men sometimes do stupid things. I just wanted to make sure …"

She left the rest unsaid, but I knew where she was headed. It was the 'sex slave' bit, and I was going to have to kill the Merry Men … unless I died of embarrassment first.

"Thanks for worrying about me, Ella," I said around the lump in my throat, I was really touched. "But Ranger hasn't done anything stupid_. _I mean, other than some real heavy flirting, we haven't … uh, we don't … nothing's …" I sat there, turning red.

Ella patted my arm. "All right, dear. If you say so."

"I hope you don't believe any of the stuff the guys are saying."

Ella waved a hand. "Oh, please! I just dismissed it all as more attempts to make Hal blush. Lately, that's become their favorite sport."

"Poor Hal," I winced for him. "He embarrasses so easily. I bet he'll never be able to look me in the eye again," I said with a sigh.

Ella chuckled and busied herself pouring the juice and putting the silver domed plates on the table. "We-ell, I don't think you'll have to worry about the gossip anymore."

"Why not?" I eyed her suspiciously. Ella was up to something.

Ella gave me a conspiratorial grin. "I may have started a little rumor of my own. Hal was more than happy to help me."

"Ohhhhh! Tell me, tell me!" At last, some good news.

"It seems that the men heard that if there was one more shred of gossip about you or Ranger, the guilty party just might have to worry about … oh, shall we call it … 'performance anxiety'."

She saw that I looked confused. "A little birdie, named Hal, told them that I threatened to put saltpeter in their food." She batted her eyes at me innocently.

"Saltpeter?"

"Yes, a little sprinkle is _said_ to affect a man's libido and ability to perform. Of course, that's just a _rumor_, no truth to it at all."

"So it's not true?" I had just discovered a whole new side of Ella. Who knew she could be so evil? I just loved that woman!

"Not at all, but they think it is." She winked at me. "Enjoy your breakfast, dear," she said with a cheerful wave and she breezed out the door.

I was still laughing when Ranger sat down at the table. I told him everything that Ella had said. Well … almost everything.

He chuckled. "I think the men are _hoping_ that under your sweet, innocent exterior, there lurks a wayward woman." He took a sip of his coffee.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Do all guys want a woman to have that 'saint/slut' thing going on?" I asked.

"It's pretty much a universal male fantasy," Ranger said, his lips tipping up slightly. He took a sip of his coffee. "Of course, in my case, the fantasy is reality."

He pinned me with his dark eyes, and I froze, with my fork halfway to my open mouth. "Oh!" I squeaked, not sure if I should be flattered or insulted.

After breakfast, Ranger came upstairs with me, scrambling the cameras all the way. In the dressing room, he stuffed workout clothes into a small duffle and headed for the door. "I'll be out of the office this morning, then in a couple of meetings this afternoon. Instead of lunch, I'll be down in the gym, so call if you need me."

"Penance for sleeping in this morning?" I quipped.

"Something like that," he said back.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Riiight! So who's the lucky bastard you're meeting on the mats?" I asked as I followed him to the front door.

"That would be our own resident gossip blogger, Lester Santos," he said with a snort.

"Oh, you're not going to mess up his pretty face, are you? Those flash burns are finally all healed." True, Lester couldn't keep his mouth shut, but I hated the thought of him all battered again.

"You're too soft-hearted. But no, this is going to be more like Wrestlemania meets Gossip Girl." He grinned evilly and leaned in to me, kissing the tip of my nose.

"Ohhhh! Can I volunteer to oil you up?" The thought of those gorgeous bodies covered in a thin sheen of oil, made my mouth water. Yeesh, I was getting hornier by the minute.

Ranger's eyes instantly darkened. He came toward me, backing me against the wall. "You can wake me up, oil me up, sex me up, anytime you want. And I'll be happy to return the favor." He moved in to kiss me.

"Oh, I know _that_," I said with a nonchalant shrug. "I was talking about Lester. I've been itching to get my hands on him!" I wiggled my fingers and fluttered my eyelashes.

Ranger froze an inch from my lips and pulled back a little. The expression on his face was priceless, and he actually growled at me. I couldn't help but laugh.

Ranger opened the door, then turned back and wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me against him, "You keep your hands off Santos," he ordered and kissed me thoroughly. He broke the kiss, turned me around and gave me a little swat on the rear. "Go back to bed!" he ordered. "I'll see you at dinner."

I gave him a little finger wave over my shoulder and moseyed on back to the bedroom, crawled into bed, and fell into a deep, and thankfully dreamless, sleep.

I opened my eyes when I heard the front door of Ranger's apartment open. Keys clinked into the silver tray on the hall sideboard. A beat later, there was a heavy clunk, and I suspected this was his gun getting dropped onto the kitchen counter. Moments later, Ranger strode into the bedroom, and I had to wonder if he was moving out of the fourth floor studio and back in here.

He was wearing a black knit cap, black jacket, black cargo pants, and black boots. He was soaking wet, and he didn't look happy.

"Still sleeting out?" I asked him.

It was a rhetorical question since I could hear it pounding on the bedroom window.

He bent to unlace his boots. "Everything I had to do this morning was outdoors," he said.

Aha! So _that's_ why he slept in this morning.

"I'm soaking wet, and I'm running late for a meeting." He kicked his boots off and moved into the bathroom. "Get me some dry clothes?"

I slid out of bed and crossed the room. "What kind of clothes?"

"Warm ones."

Ranger has a walk-in dressing room I would kill for. Shirts, slacks, blazers, T-shirts, sweatshirts, cargo pants, socks, underwear, gym clothes, shoes were all perfectly hung on hangers, stacked on shelves, or neatly placed in a drawer. Again, this is done by Ella.

And since I'd moved in, Ella was doing it for me, too. Ranger's side of the dressing room was all in black. The other side, mine, was a riot of color. All my shirts, slacks, skirts, T-shirts, dresses, jeans, socks, undies, sleepwear, and shoes were all hung, stacked, and placed as neatly as Ranger's were. My clothes never had it so good, and they were _really_ gonna miss Ella when I moved out of here.

It was easy for me to pick clothes for Ranger because everything he owned was black. I gathered together the same outfit he was wearing when he walked in.

There was a time a while ago when I searched for underwear in Ranger's dressing room and found just one pair of silky black boxers. Today, he had a drawer full of underwear. Boxers, bikinis briefs, and boxer briefs. I closed my eyes and grabbed and came up with boxer briefs.

I brought the clothes to the open bathroom door in time to see Ranger strip off the last of his wet clothes.

"Sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to barge in on you."

"Babe, you've seen it all before. You slept with it last night."

"Yeah, but it was dark, and you were under the covers."

"We were naked in the shower at the hospital," he teased as he dried himself off with one of the big fluffy towels. I wondered if I should offer to help him.

"Really? I guess I wasn't in any condition to notice," I said virtuously. I felt myself blush when I realized that I'd been staring at him drying his man parts. Even 'at rest' he was impressive and the thought of 'rampant' Ranger, made me go weak in the knees. I think I licked my lips.

He grinned at that one. "Well, so far as I know, nothing has changed." He pulled on the briefs and arranged himself. "If I had more time, I'd pick up where we left off this morning and let you figure that out for yourself." He removed his watch and tossed it to me. "Set this out to dry and get me a new one. Top drawer in the chest in my dressing room."

I brought him the exact duplicate of the watch he'd discarded, plus I handed him thick socks and dry boots. I stood there in the doorway and watched him dress. He'd walked in on me enough times, so turn about was fair play, don't you think?

He stepped into his cargoes and pulled the sweater over his head, then raised his hands and ran them through his still damp hair, pushing it back from his face. I'm pretty sure that's where I zoned out.

Ranger moved past me into the bedroom and sat on the leather bench at the end of the bed to put on his socks and boots. I fixated on his hands, his long fingers working the laces. I knew that wasn't all they could work, either. They certainly had been able to work magic on me, fisting into my hair, stroking my body, sliding in and out of …

"Steph? STEPH!" I came back to Earth with a start and automatically checked my chin for drool.

"Huh? What? I didn't catch that," I said kind of lamely.

"Are you okay? Your eyes glazed over, and I lost you there for a minute." He watched me closely.

"Must still be the effects of the concussion," I flapped a hand dismissively. "What were you saying?" I tried to look attentive and alert.

"I _said,_" he spoke slowly and distinctly, "I may have to leave for a couple of days. Will you be all right by yourself?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" There was that false bravado again.

"I was thinking about last night," he said, meaning the nightmare.

"Well," I said with a shrug, "I can't come running to you for every little thing."

He finished lacing his boots and stood, closing the distance between us. Putting his hand on my cheek, he bent and whispered, "Sure you can," and brushed his lips across mine. "Anytime, anywhere, for anything."

I followed him to the door and watched him take his keys from the sideboard and pocket them. He pushed me to the wall, leaned in to me, and kissed me. "Later," he said, his lips brushing against mine. And he left. It took me a minute to catch my breath, and then I headed off to the bathroom and the shower massager that Luis had installed for me, this morning's bargain with God forgotten.

I spent the next couple of hours on the computer in the den. I knew from my new-found addiction to House Hunters on HGTV that most people started their new home searches on the internet. I figured that renters probably could do the same thing. I found a couple of sites for Trenton rentals and scanned their listings.

My biggest problem was that I was spoiled after living here at RangeMan. The apartments that I wanted, I couldn't afford, and the ones I could actually afford all had Stark Street addresses. I had lucked out with my old place. Granted, it was full of senior citizens and had none of the amenities of newer buildings, but it was big, and it was rent controlled … that alone made the brown and orange bathroom a whole lot easier to live with.

I suddenly felt warm, and all the little hairs stood up on my arms. I turned, and Ranger was standing behind me, looking over my shoulder at the screen. Startled, I jumped like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Jeez! You scared me! Make a little noise, will ya!"

Ranger didn't take his eyes off the screen. "Apartment hunting?"

"I just thought I'd see what was out there. I have to have someplace to go when my forty-six days are up."

"Smart to plan ahead," he said, leaning down to brace his hands on the arms of my chair, his head next to mine, his chin practically on my shoulder. If we turned toward each other at the same time, our lips would meet. "See anything you like?"

"Oh, yeah!" I breathed. It took me a couple of seconds to realize he was talking about apartments. I shook my head a little to clear it. "The question should be do I see anything I can afford that isn't on Stark Street?" I said with an embarrassed laugh.

"There's a rental agent that RangeMan uses to find apartments for employees. If you like, I can give him a call and have him line up some places for you to see next week or so."

"Oh, sure," I said, staring at the screen. "That'd be great."

Ranger didn't move. He smelled so good I was getting dizzy. It was all I could do to keep from turning my head and licking him. I was itchy all over and squirmed in my seat. I hadn't felt like this since that time I gave up sugar. But I just had Belgian waffles with strawberry topping and sweetened whipped cream for breakfast, so I was pretty sure my sugar content was just fine.

Probably it was just the lack of sex. I mean, it had been months and _months_,and celibacy wasn't my long suit. In high school, I had tried out for the part of Maria in The Sound of Music, our junior year school play. That was as close to celibacy as I'd ever gotten. Sex was right up there, neck and neck with birthday cake, on my list of life's favorite things, and I was horny. Maybe I just needed to jump Ranger and scratch that itch.

All I had to do was turn my head and brush my lips against his neck. I had done that once before, a long time ago. He had told me that he might have the weight and muscle, but I had the power. A little power could be a dangerous thing. It could go right to your head. But it wasn't my head I was thinking about. I was focused on another body part entirely.

My musings were interrupted when Ella stuck her head into the den. Probably a very good thing.

"How many days do you need me to pack for you?" she asked Ranger.

He straightened up and turned to face her. "Make it three," he said.

I looked up at him. "So I guess that means you're leaving, huh?"

"Yes," he said. "It's an out-of-state pick up and we have a good lead, but you know how those things go."

I nodded and turned back to the computer and scrolled through the apartment listings. "I wish I could go with you. I'm going a little stir crazy. I need some retail therapy or something."

I heard him blow out a heavy breath, and then he swiveled my chair so I was facing him. "I need a favor." He sounded strange, like he was speaking a foreign language. I was guessing that Ranger didn't often ask for favors.

"Okay," I said, hoping the favor was going to be a round of the wild animal sex that the guys were talking about, or something equally satisfying.

"I'd like you to stay in the building until I get back."

Well, crap! That was a major disappointment. But this is me we're talking about, so I automatically opened my mouth to argue with him.

He held up a hand, cutting me off before I could say a word. "This job will be a whole lot easier if I don't have to worry about your safety."

I snapped my mouth shut. "Well," I said with an exaggerated sigh, "since you asked so nicely …" They don't call it the _art _of compromise for nothing. Looks like I'm an ar-teest.

He gave me his almost smile. "There are lots of things you can do if you get bored," he started.

I held up a finger, no not the middle one! "Do not suggest that I go to the gym!" I huffed.

"It never crossed my mind, and you aren't supposed to exert yourself yet anyway," he said with a smile. "I was going to suggest that you use my office to work on getting bids for the parts Hector wants us to stock."

"I suppose I could do that," I said. I just wasn't sure how I was going to stand all that excitement.

"Or, since I'm taking a lot of the guys with me, and we'll be shorthanded here, you could take a turn on the monitors." He pulled me out of my chair and looped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. "But only if you feel up to it." He kissed my forehead. "Or you could run some background checks. I know how much you miss doing those." He grinned at me.

"Or," I said, "I could call all the girls over and have a spa day. You know, manis, pedis, massages, facials. Foo-foo ladies lunch, chick flicks."

"Gee! I'm sorry I'm going to miss that," Ranger said with a forced smile.

"Liar!" I laughed.

I tapped a finger against my chin. "OR, the girls and I could all go down to the gym and watch the guys exercise. We could bring wine and snacks. Hey! I wonder if we could get the Merry Men to wear those collars and cuffs like male dancers do? Then it'd be just like Chippendale's! Oh, maybe we could get them to do a little dance routine and wear …"

"Stephanie," Ranger's voice was stern. "Do NOT use your feminine wiles on my men!" He tugged on my hair.

"You really think I have feminine wiles?" I was so pleased. Ranger just shook his head.

Ella stood in the doorway. "I left your bag in the dressing room so that you can finish packing it," she said. Ranger thanked her and she left. He headed for the bedroom and he took my hand, towing me along after him.

I lounged in the dressing room doorway, watching Ranger open his gun safe, a big metal thing about four feet high by three feet wide that was built into the wall behind a clothing rack. He glanced up at me, an eyebrow raised. "Sorry! I guess I shouldn't be watching," I said and headed for the living room.

"No," he called after me. "Come back."

When I did, he motioned me over to the gun safe. He entered some kind of code into the thing. "Give me your hand," he said, holding out his. "You need to be able to access this."

"Why?" He didn't answer, just took my right thumb and pressed it to a small pad on the front of the safe, entered another code, and the yellow light turned red. "Now, pay attention. This is important. You can't write it down. You have to memorize it."

Step by step, he walked me through the entry process. The last step was a personal, twelve digit code, and I looked at him expectantly. "R-A-N-G-E-R-S-W-O-M-A-N," he said slowly. I got all the way to the last letter before I realized what it spelled, and my eyes snapped up to his in surprise.

All Ranger said was, "Thumbprint." I pressed my thumb to the pad, and the door clicked open.

"So why do I need to be able to open this? What's in here anyway?" I asked before I even looked in the safe.

"All my secrets," he said, swinging the door open wide.

I stared at him in bewilderment. "What?"

He pointed to a metal lock box on the top shelf. "Everything from my birth certificate to my will. The good, the bad, the ugly. It's all right there. Every recorded fact about Ricardo Carlos Manoso. The key's in the lock."

I was flabbergasted. "Aren't you worried I'll peek?"

He gave me a wry smile. "I'm counting on it."

"Wait! You _want me_ to snoop?"

He gave me a single nod.

"I don't believe this. It's a set up." I narrowed my eyes at him. Next to the file box was a stack of what looked like jewelry boxes. I gingerly reached for one, fully expecting him to slam the safe door shut. But he didn't.

"I didn't think you were a bling kind of guy, at least not since you outgrew your Stark Street rapper stage," I quipped and released the catch to open the box. The snide remark I was going to make about his taste in jewelry died on my lips when I saw the Purple Heart that rested on the satin interior.

"Oh, God! I'm sorry," I swallowed hard. "I didn't mean …" I couldn't force another word past the lump in my throat.

"I know," Ranger said. He took the box out of my hands and gently closed it, then slid it back onto the shelf. There were a bunch more boxes sitting next to it.

The rest of the safe was fitted with racks and holders for all kinds of hand guns and automatic weapons, most of which I didn't recognize. "Wow!" I said when I could finally speak again. "That looks like a mini-rocket launcher."

"That's exactly what it is." He gave me an almost smile when my eyes all but popped out of my head.

"Oh, swell! You aren't worried I'll pawn all this? Or sell it out of the back of my beautiful Mercedes SUV down on Stark Street." I said, trying to add a little levity to the atmosphere. "After all, I could wind up living down there. I could use this stuff to foster some neighborhood good will."

That earned me a real smile. "You should know that they're all unregistered and untraceable."

"Oh, big bucks. Even better." I backed away from the safe.

Ranger took out two handguns then glanced at me. "Want me to leave it open?" I shook my head, and he swung the door closed. The little light on the front of the safe glowed amber.

I trailed after him and watched him store the guns in his duffle and then zip it up. "Throw down weapons?" I asked.

"Yes," he watched me to see my reaction. "Just in case."

I chewed my lip. "Um, showing me where your will was? You aren't trying to tell me something about this pick up, are you?"

That earned me a smile. "No, Steph. This is just a regular pick up, no more dangerous than any other we do."

I don't think I quite believed him, but I nodded anyway. "Be careful."

"Always," he gave me a half smile, and then went into the dressing room for a fully loaded utility belt and a Kevlar vest. He bent to pick up the duffle.

I hemmed and hawed a little, not knowing how to broach the subject gracefully. "I need to know why you gave me access to all your information." I just blurted it out.

There was a tension about him as he slung his utility belt over his shoulder. "You can't really know someone until you know all their secrets."

Then it hit me. "This is what you were talking about at Mama Macaroni's funeral, isn't it?" I asked. It was his turn to nod.

After the funeral, Ranger had said that he loved me.

"_There's all kinds of love," I said._

"_This is the kind that doesn't call for a ring. But a condom might come in handy."_

"_That's not love," I told him. "That's lust."_

"_In this case, there's some of both."_

"_Just not the marrying type?"_

"_Look at me, Babe. I'm carrying two guns and a knife. At this point in my life, I'm not exactly family material."_

"_Do you think that will change?"_

"_Not anytime soon. And there are things you don't know about me," Ranger said._

"_What kind of things?"_

"_Things you don't _want _to know."_

I took a deep breath and walked over to him, looping my arms around his waist. "I know everything I need to know about you. There's nothing in that safe that could change how I feel."

"You aren't curious?" He looked at me suspiciously.

I snorted. "Have you met me? Of course I'm curious! But not about the stuff in the safe. I want to know things like … what you mother calls you, and if there's really a Batcave, and where you get all those black cars from, and why you don't eat dessert, and how come you don't go commando anymore. I want to know the _important _stuff!"

Ranger threw his head back and laughed. "I knew I loved you for a reason."

And then he kissed me and I realized that there wasn't anything else I needed to know.

I walked Ranger down to the garage where all the guys were loading up into two of the SUVs. By unspoken agreement, there would be no PDA in front of them. After all, we didn't want to undermine Ranger's authority.

I said good-bye to the Merry Men, telling them to be safe and take care of each other. Ranger came over to me and pulled up the collar on my jacket, it was windy and freezing cold in that garage. "I'll call you," he said.

"If you must," I said with a dramatic sigh. Ranger chuckled and tugged on my ponytail.

"Try not to go too crazy," he said.

"And you try not to get shot!" I replied.

"Yes, ma'am!" he grinned and got behind the wheel of one of the vehicles.

Just before they took off, the back door of the SUV opened and Lester jumped out. He ran over to me, grabbed me and bent me back over his arm, kissing me resoundingly, accompanied by whoops and cat-calls from the guys. "A woman like you deserves to be kissed good-bye. If Ranger won't do it, I'll be glad to take one for the team," he quipped. He stood me back on my feet and dashed back to the vehicle.

The last thing I heard before they pulled off was Ranger's voice, bellowing, "SANTOS! On the mats. 6am!"

TBC …

A/N: All right … opinions needed here! Should Steph go through Ranger's safe? Should she find out what his deep, dark secret is? Or not? Will she be able to ignore that little amber light on the front of the safe? Or will it tempt her? Tell me what you think she should do.

And wasn't it about time that she put two and two together and figured out what Ranger was up to? Is she right? Should she make the first move? Should she wait for Ranger to? Should she really give up birthday cake?

Stay tuned … we're headed for that HEA …

Kashy, hope your hand heals fast so you can type. We need your next chapter of HAND. Miranda, Hyphen Houdini, thank you for making sense out of my gibberish. And thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. Please be aware that I'm still a total review slut ... The amount of future R/S smut will be in direct proportion to the number of reviews Love gets. lol See? I'm not above bribery!

Stayce


	32. Come On And Love Me!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, Quotes from all 16 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse, Writer's Block …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Editor and friend Extraordinaire, to Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, to Miranda,Comma Correctionist and Hyphen Houdini, for the Edit, as well as friendship and encouragement and letting me rant, and to Everyone who has read and reviewed Love … Love wouldn't be Love without you. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

**What is love? Love is when one person knows all of your secrets...**

_**Your deepest, darkest, most dreadful secrets of which no one else in the world knows...**_

_**And yet in the end, that one person does not think any less of you…**_

_**Even if the rest of the world does.**_

**Chapter 32: Come On And Love Me!**

Okay, we all know that curiosity killed the cat, right? So, meow! I admit it; I was growing whiskers and craving Cat Chow. My curiosity about that safe in Ranger's dressing room was _killing _me!

All I could think about was what he had squirreled away in there. I found myself sitting on the floor, in front of the safe, glaring at the damned thing and having one-sided conversations with it. Don't worry, the safe wasn't talking back. It just sat there with a smug expression on its face, and I imagined it sing-songing, "I know something you don't know! I know something you don't know."

I wanted to kick the stupid thing, but I wound up just kicking myself for telling Ranger that there wasn't anything in there that I needed to know. I mean, come on! Haven't I ever met me? What in the hell would make me say something that stupid? Don't answer that!

So anyway, no matter how much I wanted to snoop, what I'd told Ranger was the honest-to-God truth. There _wasn't_ anything in the safe that I _needed_ to know about him. None of his 'secrets' would make any difference to me.

He said that every printed word about him was in the safe, from his birth certificate to his will. Did I care about school reports, medical records, insurance policies, bank accounts, or bills? No. His service record might be interesting to read, but did I _need_ to know what it said? Again, no. After all, there were all those medals. They said it all.

Let's face it, folks, I already knew a lot about Ranger … personal stuff that he'd told me himself. I figured they didn't even count as 'secrets'. Nothing that he'd told me seemed all that awful. They were just the regular mistakes that humans make. Apparently Ranger had learned from them since he hadn't repeated them, right?

Like, his juvie record. Big deal! This was Jersey! You were practically _born _with a juvie record here. So he boosted a car when he was fourteen and got sent to Miami to live with his grandmother. Everybody I knew had at least one minor scrape with the law… even yours truly. Okay, so it was for toilet papering Joyce Barnhardt's house when we were in fifth grade, but still ….

Ranger hadn't sounded particularly proud of himself when he'd told me that, back in the day, he'd 'done everything'. I didn't need to read some file to know what 'everything' meant. I was pretty sure I could figure that one out all by myself. But how bad could it have been? I mean, even _I_ smoked pot when I was in college. Once … sort of. Turned out it was oregano.

He didn't try to whitewash the details, or make excuses for himself, when he told me about his marriage to Rachel. Or about giving up his parental rights for Julie so that Rachel's new husband, Ron, could adopt her. It may have been the right thing for Ranger to do, but it sure didn't make him look good.

I knew there were probably a lot of good reasons why he always carried two guns and a knife, but again, I didn't need to know exactly what they were. I knew that his lifestyle attracted as many crazies as mine did. No surprises there, especially after Scrog.

So what awful secrets could he have hidden in that safe? Once, when I brought up the subject of his deep dark secret, he told me to drop it.

"_Are you sick?"_ I'd asked.

"_No, I'm not sick. Not physically, anyway. I'm not so sure sometimes about the mental, emotional, and sexual," _he'd replied.

I suppose he could have had mental or emotional issues, lots of people did. If that was the case, he didn't give any indication of instability. But whatever, I didn't think Ranger would count it as some shameful secret. And just look at _my_ family. There wasn't one of us that wouldn't benefit from spending some time on a shrink's couch.

Sexual issues? I could positively state, from first-hand, up close, and personal experience, that Ranger wasn't gay or a trannie. He was one hundred percent, natural born, manly, macho, virile male animal. Maybe he had a Viagra stash? Nah! Ranger had natural staying power. I could attest to that, too.

What secrets did he have that could be so awful? Did he have a string of wives and kids hidden away someplace? Ranger, the polygamist with a bunch of Sister Wives? Nope, couldn't see that. He was as commitment phobic as I was.

A sex addiction? I seriously doubted it. He certainly enjoyed sex … a lot! But he was way too controlled to let anything control him, even sex.

Could he be a cross-dresser? Oh please! I didn't see any feather boas in that safe, and I never caught Ranger eyeing my undies unless I was in them. So that was out. He'd never made any secret about what he wanted to do to me, or that he wanted to do it bad, but I'm pretty sure that wearing my clothes wasn't what he had in mind.

If I looked in the safe, would I find a membership card for some secret, underground S and M club? Ranger had told me that he wasn't a gadget guy. Did a ball gag qualify as a gadget? Ranger didn't strike me as a whips-and-chains type either. No pun intended. Whips, chains … strike me. Get it?

Kinky sex? Ranger was hands-on when he made love, and he liked to kiss … everything … a lot. But he really was sort of a control freak. So, bondage? I had to admit that that scenario had featured in a whole lot of my daydreams. Just the thought made certain parts of my body tingle. I imagined being spread eagle, tied to his bed with silken scarves. Helpless, at his mercy, writhing under his wet, hot tongue, panting as he stroked …

Yeesh! I had to stop this! I was turning myself on! Okay, lose the silk scarves. Time to change the subject before I wore out _another _shower massager.

Ranger had a strong sense of right and wrong, even if he did sometimes operate in that grey area between legal and moral issues. There were a lot of people who still weren't sure which side of the law he walked on. But they all wanted to be on his good side … just in case, and he used that to his advantage.

He had an information network that ran the whole gamut from the Mayor and Police Chief, all the way down to the winos in the alleys behind Stark Street, from the Good Guys, through the Bad Guys, to the Nobodies. But there was nothing illegal about that.

He earned his reputation as a bad-ass the hard way, by being one! I remember when we first met. He talked 'street' and wore that fringed leather jacket and alligator cowboy boots. He looked more pimp than professional. Now he wore Armani and cashmere and handmade silk ties. He'd come a long way, baby.

I just couldn't see him doing anything to jeopardize RangeMan or his standing in the business community. He'd worked too hard to get where he was. I couldn't see him bilking little old ladies out of their life savings, or cheating on his taxes, or dealing in anything illegal like drugs or arms or stolen goods.

Did he rub shoulders with people who did? Who didn't? Just look at how much time I spent with Mooner and Dougie.

Hell, everybody in the state knew somebody who sold stuff that 'fell off the back of a truck' or had 'a five finger discount'. Guys hawked t-shirts out of their car trunks and knock off purses and watches right on the street. I personally owned knock-off Uggs and a darling little fake Kate Spade hand bag. Illegal? Technically, but by Jersey standards, those guys were entrepreneurs.

Maybe his secrets had to do with those times he was 'in the wind'. Maybe he was a secret government agent, like an American James Bond? "Manoso, Carlos Manoso"! Could I see him running around in a tux, driving an Aston Martin, drinking shaken, not stirred martinis? Or maybe he used his Cuban Sex God status to bed beautiful foreign spies and make them reveal their secrets while in the throes of Ranger-induced Doomsday Orgasms.

Okay, that was just silly. More likely he was a member of one of those super top secret, doesn't exist on paper, buried under the Pentagon, black ops units. You know, the kind that get shipped off in the dead of night to do the government's dirty work. Ranger Manoso, dressed in camouflage, face grease-painted, bristling with weapons, crawling through some jungle or desert was more like it. Right?

I could see him infiltrating a drug cartel or capturing, even 'neutralizing', some South American drug lord. He'd told me he'd been captured in Colombia and tortured for three days. He had to be in Colombia for a reason, and I doubt he was on vacation. But did I need to know? Nope.

Like I said, there wasn't anything in that safe that I _needed_ to know about Mr. Manoso.

But I gotta tell ya, the possibility that there could be stuff in that safe that I _wanted_ to know? Now _that_ was driving me nuts! A thousand different 'maybes' about what could be in there flashed through my head, and my imagination galloped away with me.

Maybe I could find out where all those expensive black vehicles came from, or where the Batcave was, or where he _really_ disappeared to when he was in the wind… Oh, the possibilities were endless.

Ohhhhh! Maybe his little black book was in there. Hell, this was Ranger we were talking about! Probably he had a little black _encyclopedia_! I never thought that Ranger was a monk; he was way too sexual a being to be celibate. But I really didn't want to know who, or how many women, he'd slept with. Oh, ick! No!

OMG! Maybe he rated his bed partners' performances, kind of like a sexual Consumer Reports. Or their bodies! What if there were little checks or stars or numbers next to the names. Holy Hell! I'd be listed in there. Did I want to know how he'd rated me? Did my boobs earn a C minus, or my ass two stars? How about my performance? Did I rate a 9.0 or a 2.5? What if I didn't have a good performance rating? How humiliating would that be?

Maybe the safe held the identities of his partners in RangeMan. Did I want to know? No. I'd probably be disappointed to find out that they were just plain, old, boring businessmen. It was much more fun thinking that they were The Justice League … Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash, to his Batman. Okay, forget Wonder Woman. I wanted to be Batman's Wonder Woman.

I told him that I knew everything I needed to know about him, and I did. I knew that he was honest, and brave, and loyal, and handsome, and sexy, and infuriating. I knew he was my best friend and my hero, and I knew he loved me. I knew that I loved him, too. I had for a long time. Whatever his secrets were, good, bad, ugly … they'd made him who he was … the man I was in love with.

So, nope! There was absolutely no reason to open that safe. _I _knew that, too bad the safe didn't.

I climbed into bed and I swear that little amber light on the front of the safe suddenly shone like a spotlight! I got up and closed the dressing room door, but when I got back into bed, that amber light snuck out from under the door and crept across the floor to tantalize me. I turned on the light in the dressing room, but I could still see that amber glow.

The weird thing is that it had always been there, and I'd never even noticed it before. Ranger had opened that safe half a dozen times to put stuff in or take something out, but I never once even gave it a thought. But now that I knew there were secrets in it, oh man, that safe was all I could think about.

I turned on the lamp on the night table, and the safe changed tactics. The damn thing called to me in the middle of the night, mocking me! "Ste-e-e-e-phanie! Come open me. Take a look. You know you want to!" I smushed my face into my pillow, pulling another one over my head. I still heard it whisper. "Chick-en! Buck-buck-buck!"

I grabbed my pillow and started to get up, determined to sleep in Ranger's studio apartment on the fourth floor. The safe couldn't tempt me there. I was halfway out of bed when my cell phone announced a text message. I sank back down on the edge of the bed to read it.

"Question 1- Carlito," it said, and I had to smile. I'd told Ranger that what I wanted to know wouldn't be found in the safe. I wanted to know important things, like what his mother called him, and if there really was a Batcave, and where all those big, black vehicles came from, and why he never ate dessert, and why he didn't go commando anymore. And here he was, giving me the answers to those questions.

"2- Told U B4, you'll have to work for that one," the text continued. "3- Dealerships in North Jerz, 4- to keep my manly physique, 5- 2 damn cold. Sleep well. R." I held the phone to my chest like it was a love letter. And in some ways, I guess it was. I'd never get hearts and flowers from Ranger. But in his world, personal information was the same thing.

I was almost giddy as I texted back, "U 2. B careful. S."

I turned off the lights and climbed back into bed. Low and behold, the safe shut up, _and_ the amber light disappeared. I guess I really did know everything I needed to know about Ranger. I curled up on his side of the bed, and I slept like a baby. And I never gave the safe another thought.

The next morning, I strolled into the Control Room. I hadn't been cleared to go back to work yet, but there wasn't any reason I couldn't take a turn sitting in front of a monitor. I could fill in while the guys went to lunch and took their breaks.

"Okay, who goes first?" I asked the guys.

"That'd be me," Binkie held up his hand and waved without looking away from the screen he was watching.

"And I'm next," Martin Romeo added while he made a note on a clipboard next to his monitor.

"I guess you're last?" I said to Sybo Diaz, who sat on the other side of the room. He grunted in reply. Sybo almost always worked nights, which is why I never ran into him. This was only the second time I'd even spoken to him, the first having been back when I was trying to figure out if all the break-ins on RangeMan accounts had been an inside job. We'd had a scintillating conversation about staplers.

Binkie got out of his chair, and I plopped down into it. "Thanks for volunteering to do this for us, Steph. Nobody could sit here staring at these screens for eight hours straight without going comatose." He stretched and yawned. "Well, except for Sybo and we're not really sure about him anyway. There's not a whole lot of difference between comatose and conscious where he's concerned."

Martin chuckled. From the other side of the room Sybo said, "Hunh!"

Binkie went off to the break room, and I spent the longest thirty minutes of my life staring at the building's security monitors, watching empty halls and elevators. On four, Ella was going in and out of the studio apartments, cleaning and collecting laundry. It was riveting. I jest.

There was a man on each of the exits, just standing there, as bored, as I was. The guy on the front desk was tapping away on his computer. No one was skulking around outside or trying to break into the building. The only thing worth watching were the monitors in the gym where two of the guys were sparring and a couple others were working out. Nothing like buff bodies to brighten your day! It made me wish there were cameras in the locker room. Ohhh! Bad Stephanie!

I let out a huge yawn just as Binkie came back in to reclaim his monitor. "Looks like I got back just in the nick of time," he quipped.

"This is as bad as surveillance," I grumbled. Binkie just patted my shoulder. Everyone knew that sitting in a car for hours at a stretch, watching a building on the off chance that something might happen, or somebody might show up, was my idea of hell.

Martin got up and spun his chair in my direction, bowing dramatically. "Your Majesty, your throne awaits."

"Cute!" I cracked as I moved over to his chair. At least he was watching client monitors, which I thought was much more interesting … for about two minutes. I sighed and wriggled around in my chair, trying to find a comfortable position for my already numb ass.

"Hey, Steph," Zero stuck his head in the door as he passed the control room. "Wanna go to the movies tonight?"

"I'd love to, Zero, but I can't," I said without looking away from the monitors. "I'm not supposed to leave the building until Ranger gets back."

"So you're grounded, huh?" Binkie said sympathetically.

"More like house arrest," I glanced his way.

"Well, you _have _been known to sneak out." Zero quipped, strolling over and leaning his butt against my desk. "I was sitting right here when you zapped Hal with his own stun gun. Priceless." Binkie laughed, and I think Sybo snorted. Probably his version of rolling on the floor, laughing his ass off.

"I did _not_ sneak," I waved a finger at Zero. "I marched right out the door and when Hal tried to stop m…" My eyes popped wide open as a terrible thought hit me. "Oh, please don't tell me that's why there's a man on every exit. Did Ranger order you guys to stun me if I tried to leave?"

Zero blanched. "Noooo," he said, clearly uneasy. "But Ranger made it clear that we'd be history if we let anything happen to you.'' He grimaced. "And I'm pretty sure in this case, 'history' means dead." Binkie nodded like a bobble-head doll.

"So … what?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Now you're all my _keepers_?"

"No, no, no." Zero held up both hands, palms out, and backed away a little. "We know better than that! We just convinced Ranger that it'd be easier to entertain you than to restrain you. I guess that makes us all your court jesters."

I glared at the monitors. "Just wait 'til he gets back!" I muttered. "I'm gonna kill him!"

"Oh come on, we think it's cute how the Boss worries about you."

"I'll be sure to tell him that," I groused.

Zero just smiled. "Actually, it's gonna be an 'in house' movie night. We'll clear out one of the conference rooms and set up a big screen. We can order Pino's," he wheedled. "Beer … popcorn … with _real_ butter … and lots of salt … yummmm!"

I rolled my eyes. "O-kay," I sounded like a snotty kid. "So what's showing?"

"I thought we'd start with _Die Hard_, unless you want to see something else."

"Oh no, there's nothing like a Christmas love story." Now _that_ made Sybo laugh out loud!

When Sybo got back from his break, I grabbed my own lunch from the break room and ate in Ranger's office. I figured I might as well try to be productive, so I priced all the parts that Hector wanted stocked here at RangeMan. I even made an executive decision and contacted two small manufacturing companies, asking them for bids on the parts we needed. Now all I had to do was wait for them to send me their numbers, and for Ranger to give me the okay to negotiate the contracts.

Movie night was great! By the time _Live or Die Harder _was over, I was stuffed to the gills with pizza and popcorn and had a happy little beer buzz going. Zero and Binkie escorted me back to the penthouse, just so I wouldn't get lost, or so they said. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, and had just climbed into bed when my phone rang. Ranger.

"Hiya!"

"Hi yourself. How are you feeling?

"Pretty damned good. How about you?"

"Could be better."

"Uh-oh. Didn't get your guy?"

"He skipped out about a minute before we got there, but we have a line on him and should be able to pick him up tomorrow."

"So when will you be back?

"Probably another couple of days. Why, do you miss me?"

"You wish! But you know how it is … while the cat's away …"

He chuckled. "What are all you little mice up to?"

"I went to the movies tonight."

There was only dead silence from Ranger and I just had to smile.

"With?"

"Binkie and Martin and Sybo and Zero and Junior and Cal and all the guys who weren't on duty," I said lightly.

I think he actually sighed. "Where did you go?"

"The third floor conference room. It makes a great home movie theater."

"You stayed in." He almost sounded surprised.

"Of course I did, Ranger. I gave you my word that I wouldn't leave, didn't I?" I gave him the vocal version of my wide-eyed innocent routine, and purposely didn't mention that I knew about the guards he'd posted on all the doors.

"Yes, you did."

"And tomorrow night is poker night," I continued merrily. "And just so you know, the day after tomorrow will be a Ladies Only day in the gym. We're having a spa day."

"Wait! You're going to play poker with those guys?" he said, totally ignoring the spa day info.

"Sure, why not?"

"Do you even know how to play poker?"

"They said they'd teach me."

"Stephanie, they're sharks. A couple of them could play on a professional level. Don't play for money, and _Do Not_ let them snow you into playing strip poker! Believe me, they'll try, and I really don't want to have to kill any of them."

"Oh Jeez, Ranger. They wouldn't pull anything like that on me! They _like_ me!"

"Yeah, and they'd like you even better naked."

"Party Pooper!"

What I hadn't mentioned to anyone when I was invited to join the game was that I already knew how to play poker. On lots of Saturdays when I was a kid, my mom would go off to the grocery store, or the Altar and Rosary Society at the church, or some charity meeting. Val would be with her girlfriends, and I was left home with my dad.

Dad would take me to his club for lunch, and we'd sit at a big round table with his friends. As soon as the sandwiches were finished, the cards came out, and Dad's buddies got a kick out of dealing me in. I not only learned how to play poker, I learned how to spot every dirty trick in the book.

When I was a little older, I filled in when they needed an extra player for tournaments and stuff. Mom eventually figured out why I was coming home smelling like cigar smoke and put a stop to my fun. Another party-pooper!

I'd just gotten off the elevator, headed for the poker game, when Cal and Sybo grabbed me by the elbows and hustled me into the janitor's closet.

"What …" I started to say, but they both shushed me.

"You can't play," Cal whispered.

"Why not?"

"Ray, Buddy, and Donny cheat," Sybo practically snarled.

"They're like … professional card sharks. They play dirty and they've soaked all of us. You're tonight's mark."

"But they said we weren't playing for money!" I told them.

"Right! They're gonna get you drunk enough to play Strip Poker, take pictures, and post 'em on the net," Cal said.

I gaped at them. "Do they have a death wish?"

"Their contracts are up and they aren't being renewed. They're pissed and not afraid of Ranger."

"The hell with Ranger! I'm talking about _me_! I'll kill 'em!" And I would, too. "Oh, I _really_ think I need to play." I gave them my Evil Stephanie smile. "Can you two keep a secret?" And I told them all about my poker past.

The conference room had been converted into a poker parlor with a big felt topped table and cushy chairs. There was a ton of food and a full bar. The only thing missing were the big fat cigars.

Chet was bartending tonight and had been clued in to water down all my drinks … a lot! Sybo was on internal monitor duty and would tape the whole game. Every other player at the table had been fleeced by the three cheaters, and were all out for revenge.

By RangeMan rules, the losers of each hand had to down a shooter of the winner's choice. Mostly the Merry Men just sent Jager Bombs to each other, Red Bull and Jagermeister. Bleck! But when I lost my first hand, to Donny, he had Chet bring me something called a Juicy Pussy. Figures! I guzzled the watered down Bailey's and peach schnapps, then licked my lips. Donny, Buddy, and Ray grinned at each other like idiots!

The first hand I won, I ordered up a Kick in the Balls for Ray … Jose Cuervo, Jack Daniels, and Yukon Jack … pure booze. I could play this game too.

One by one, the Merry Men tapped out of the game until the only players left at the table were the three cheats and me. They were setting me up, letting me win hand after hand, then someone, Ray, suggested we switch to Strip Poker.

Strangely, my winning streak tanked with the first hand. Big surprise, huh? I lost my earrings, my watch, my sneakers, my socks, and my sweater … one right after another. And lots of shooters came my way. Hard On, Piece of Ass, Muff Diver, Screaming Orgasm … most requiring me to down the shooter while I held my hands behind my back. Men!

Since there was almost no alcohol in any of my drinks, I had to do my best 'Plastered Stephanie' impression. The cheaters bought it hook, line, and sinker.

"Gonna find out what color your bra is!" Buddy leered at me.

"I godda make sure I'm wearin' a bra furss." I pulled out the neck of my long-sleeved tank and looked down it. "Yep," I announced happily. "Back lace from Vistorica's Seeket." I snorted. "I mean Sneakret," and laughed so hard I almost slid off my chair.

"Ranger know your turning his gym into a pussy palace tomorrow?" Ray, the chief asshole, asked.

I just bit my tongue. "Tomorra's gonna be fu-un," I slurred. "Hunky guys given' missages … yummmmm!" I nodded my head as I picked up the next hand of cards and squinted at them.

Buddy waggled his eyebrows at me. "Maybe you oughtta let us give those massages. We can guarantee you skirts a 'happy ending'!" Ewwwwwww!

"Ony Rainder gifs me habby dendings," I gave him a loopy grin. "He'z god great hans. Grade BIG hans." I leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Grade big ofer stiff … stuff, stiff stuff, too." I giggled at my own joke.

"Yeah, but you chicks always tell us guys size doesn't matter," Ray said.

I blew him a sloppy raspberry. "We ony say 'at to guyz wi' liiiii-dy biddy peckers," I held up a thumb and index finger about a half inch apart. "Liddy-biddy. Sos they don' feel bad." I nodded drunkenly and patted him sympathetically on the shoulder.

Ray flushed bright red, and _I _slapped down the winning hand. "I win! Barkeep!" I shouted. "Bring 'is man a Wee Willy!" Ray choked on the Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort, and Bourbon. Good.

I lost the next hand and swallowed an Amaretto and whipped cream shooter, no hands, then purposely slid off my chair onto the floor. "Hey," I held up my glass from under the table, "who wanz a Blow Job? They're priddy yummy!"

Chet and Cal dragged me out from under the table, sat me in my chair, and then held me in place as I started to topple sideways. "Wheeeee!"

"How about we play one last hand, winner take all," Ray said. "Money, clothes, _and_ a table dance."

"Ohhhhhhh," I shimmied around in my chair, "I wanna dance!"

A few minutes later, I'd miraculously sobered up and laid my Queens over Aces full house on the table. Ray, Buddy, and Donny stared, open mouthed, at the cards, and the Merry Men howled.

"Gentlemen," I said soberly, "All your money, if you please." I tapped my index finger on the green felt. Three very pissed men threw down all their cash.

Ray glared at the Merry Men. "You guys brought in a ringer."

"Y_ou're_ the ones who invited _me_," I laughed as I counted their money. "Thanks! I've had _such _a good time!"

The three got up to leave. "Unh-unh-unh," I scolded. "Clothes, please." The three of them stripped without getting up from the table, glaring at me the whole time.

"Oh, don't tell me you're shy? I know just how to loosen you up." I turned to Chet. "Would you set them up with Ranger Shots?"

"Yes, ma'am!" he grinned, and the Merry Men cracked up.

A Ranger Shot is a set of three shooters of Bacardi 151 and Jose Cuervo … for each player! They drink a shooter, get down and do ten push-ups, drink another shooter, get down and do another ten, and repeat a third time.

Needless to say, I didn't stick around to watch that, and I left the Merry Men to enjoy their revenge. I was sure that naked pictures of those three were going to show up on the internet.

I dumped their clothes into a laundry cart in the janitor's closet and went upstairs. Ranger's computer was hard wired to the control room, and I was able to pull up the internal monitors.

I grabbed a beer and watched as naked Buddy, Ray, and Donny dashed from the conference room to the stairs, probably heading for the locker room to get clothes. Big surprise, the Merry Men made sure that all the stairwell doors were locked … from the outside.

I snickered as the three men finally found the only open door … on the ground level. They raced, bare-assed, through the frigid garage and out into the back alley where the Dumpsters were located, around the corner of the building and down the street to the front door where they had to buzz the intercom and wait in the freezing cold until the man on desk duty came to the door. I almost spewed my beer when he demanded to see their IDs.

It was close to 2am by the time I crawled into bed. Ranger texted, asking how the game went. I said I had fun. I figured that I'd fill him in on the details when he got back.

Spa Day was fantastic! Mr. Alexander and his team had arrived before the crack of dawn and had miraculously transformed the bare bones gym and locker room into a high class day spa, complete with fluffy peach colored towels, gauzy curtains, lounge chairs, scented candles, and curtained massage rooms. The locker room had been set up as a full service beauty salon.

Lula, Connie, Val, Mary Lou, Ella and I had spent the morning being scrubbed, wrapped, waxed, kneaded, buffed, puffed, exfoliated, and moisturized to within an inch of our lives. We all sported perfectly manicured nails and gorgeous spray tans, and Ella even got a little Botox. We were finishing up our lunches before our afternoon beauty sessions started.

"Steph," Connie said, licking the last of her chocolate mousse off her spoon, "I think this is the best idea you've ever had!"

"Absolutely," Mary Lou chimed in. "That masseuse, Sven, has magic hands." She let out a big sigh. "I wonder if he'd give Lenny a few pointers."

"That Umberto ain't no slouch neither!" Lula winked. "I'm so relaxed I could slide off this here chair in puddle."

I turned to Lula. "If massages are supposed to be so relaxing," I said and polished off my Bellini, "how come I'm all jumpy and twitchy." I took another Bellini from the tray the waiter passed and took a big swallow. "I don't know what's the matter with me."

Lula gave me a sidelong look. "Sounds ta me like you need a little lovin'. You livin' with Batman, girl. You know The Wizard'd just luuuuuuv to work his magic on you." She waggled her eyebrows for emphasis.

"Well, that's not gonna happen," I said dejectedly. Part of me worried that if it did, Ranger would disappear 'in the wind' again.

"Yeah. I guess you'll just have to stick to 'self-service'," she snorted.

I turned to Lula and lowered my voice. "Seriously. I don't know what's going on. I swear I'm gonna wear out the shower massager Luis installed for me, and probably I should buy stock in Energizer the way I'm running through Herbert Horsecock batteries," I whispered to her. "It's like I'm horny _all_ the time. All I can think about is sex. Well, the sex I'm not getting. I'm even dreaming about it!"

"Uh-oh!" Lula said. "You swear off sugar again?"

"No! That's just it. I'm not even drinking Diet Coke!" I cringed when I realized that Val had been standing right behind me, listening in.

"What are you swearing off?" she asked, and sat down by us. I groaned, loudly.

"What's going on?" Mary Lou, Connie and Ella clustered around. Crap!

"You been found out, girlfriend!" Lula turned to the girls. "A while back, Steph and her mama made a pact. Mom'd stop tippling, if Steph swore off sugar," she said with a big grin. "Well, didn't go like Steph planned 'cause …" She launched her Jelly Donut Theory, and how I had substituted sex for the sugar I had sworn off.

"She almost _killed_ Morelli. The Italian Stallion couldn't keep up with her," Lula chuckled. "Told her she sent 'Mr. Happy' into a coma, and he locked himself in the guest room!"

Mary Lou had tears of laughter streaming down her cheeks. "Oh my God, Steph! Is that the problem? Did you give up sugar again?"

"Nooo!" I snarked. "Ella makes me dessert every night, and I have all kinds of syrups and sweet stuff for breakfast. So that's not the reason."

"Oh, Stephanie," Ella whispered, her hands flew to her flushed cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea." She bit her lips and pressed her fingers to her mouth. It looked like she was trying not to laugh!

I looked at her. "What? What's so funny?"

Ella took a deep breath, obviously trying to control herself. "Ranger and I have regular meetings about the menus," she said. "I make the men a lot of cookies and muffins, and so forth, and Ranger was concerned about the high sugar content," she explained. "He asked if I could make them sugar-free without changing the flavor, and I said yes."

She reached over and put a hand on my arm. "He suggested that I try them out on you, and that if you couldn't tell the difference, no one else would either." She let out a big sigh. "Stephanie, you've been completely sugar-free for days."

Connie snorted. "I'm thinking Ranger knows about your reaction to sugar withdrawal?" she laughed.

"You bet he does!" I growled. I was on my feet in a heartbeat. "Why that low down, dirty rat!" I muttered. I knew exactly what he was doing. "Wait 'til I get my hands on him!" I raged.

"That's probably what he's hoping for!" Val managed to choke out, and everyone else just lost it.

I was furious, mortified, outraged … and it didn't help any that Ella and the girls were in hysterics, hanging onto each other so they wouldn't fall over. So much for sympathy.

I remembered exactly when I'd told Ranger about my sugar withdrawal problems. It was right after Con Stiva had run Joe down and broken his leg, and I was working for RangeMan again.

_Ranger was waiting for me down in the garage while I changed into my new RangeMan uniform. He was wearing a windbreaker exactly like mine, and the almost smile expression was fixed on his face._

"_I feel like a miniature Ranger," I said to him._

_Ranger unzipped the windbreaker and looked me over._

"_Nice, but you're no miniature Ranger." He took my Sig out of his jacket pocket and snapped it onto my belt just in front of my hip, his knuckles grazing bare skin. "There are some advantages to this short shirt," he said, sliding his hands under, fingertips stopping short of my bra._

"_Okay, here's the deal," I said to him. "You know how when you squeeze a jelly donut__ and the jelly squirts out in the weakest spot in the donut? Well, if I'm a jelly donut then my weak spot is dessert. Every time I get stressed I head for the bakery. I'm trying to stop the dessert thing now, and so the jelly is squirting out someplace else."_

"_And?"_

"_And this place that it's squirting out … maybe squirting out isn't a good way to put this. Forget squirting out."_

"_You're trying to tell me something," Ranger said._

"_Yes! And it would be a lot easier if you didn't have you hands under my shirt. It's hard for me to think when you've got your hands on me like this."_

"_Babe, has it occurred to you that you might be giving information to the enemy?"_

"_The thing is, I have all these excess hormones. They used to be jelly-donut hormones, but somehow they got switched over to sex-drive hormones. Not that sex-drive hormones are bad, it's just that my life is so complicated right now. So I'm trying to control all these stupid hormones, to keep them locked up in the doughnut. And you're going to have to help."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because you're a good guy."_

"_I'm not that good." Ranger said._

"_So I'm in trouble?"_

"_Big time."_

Ranger's motive was easy to figure out. He wanted me off sugar so I'd be fighting to control my sex-drive hormones. Without Joe in the picture to help me work them off, Ranger thought he'd get lucky. Oh, he was gonna get something all right, only it wasn't gonna be lucky! By the time Spa Day was over, I had my revenge plan all worked out.

Ranger's call that night woke me up. All that pampering had wiped me out, and I barely managed to grab my phone before it went to voice mail.

"'Lo," I mumbled.

"Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but that's okay. How are you?"

"Good. I'm on my way back."

"Already? You weren't due until day after tomorrow. I guess you got your man, huh?"

"Yeah, and I should be there before dawn."

Perfect, I thought, and I made my voice all deep and sexy. "Ranger, would you do something for me?"

"If I can."

"Come wake me up as soon as you get here? I _really_ need to see you. I don't care what time it is, okay?"

I could hear the wheels turning in his head. "Will do, Babe." There was a smile in his voice, too, the smug son of a bitch. I rolled out of bed to set the scene.

I left the bedroom door open a couple of inches, and turned on the lamp on the dresser so he could see into the room. I changed my pajamas, brushed my teeth, spritzed on a little perfume, fluffed my Mr. Alexander highlighted and curled hair, and got back into bed. I curled up in bed, so far under the covers that only my head showed. I arranged my props, and settled down to wait for Ranger.

I must have dozed off, but that familiar prickly sensation on the back of my neck, the one that told me Ranger was near, woke me up before he even got off the elevator.

I listened to the apartment door open and the tiny clink of his keys as he quietly placed them into the silver dish on the sideboard. Ranger came into the room and stood next to the bed for a minute, than toed off his boots and stretched out facing me.

He reached over and gently brushed a curl off my face. How could he be so sweet and such a rat bastard at the same time? I sighed and smiled, then let my eyes open slowly.

"Hi," I whispered, and tunnelled my hand out from under the covers to touch his cheek, scraping my nails against his four days worth of stubble. He looked dark and dangerous and sexy as hell! "I'm glad you're back."

"So am I," he said.

For a whole minute I got lost in the warmth of his eyes and forgot all about getting revenge. He covered my hand with his and turned his face to kiss my palm. When he touched the tip of his tongue to the same spot, a zing shot through me, and all the heat in my body seemed to pool right between my legs. I focused on that magic mouth of his, and I may have licked my lips … on purpose.

He smiled. "I missed you," he whispered and moved a little closer. Slipping his arm around my waist, he leaned in to kiss me, then stopped short. His brow furrowed, and he gave a little grunt, then he shimmied around and leaned in again. And again he stopped, patting his hand around on the bed between us. Finally, he pushed up on his elbow and started pulling at the blankets.

"What am I lying on?" he asked, digging around under the blankets. The expression on his face when he pulled out my Herbert Horsecock Super Turbo model was _priceless_. He turned to me, wearing a classic 'WTF?' look.

"Ooops!" I smiled ingenuously as I took the extra-large, battery operated, mocha-latte colored dildo out of his hand. "I've been feeling very … well … _needy_, the past couple of days, and sometimes a girl's just gotta take care of herself," I said with a shrug.

A sly grin crossed his face. "You know, I'd be more than happy to help you out with that problem," Mr. Generosity said.

I leaned in really close. "Could you," I let my voice get all breathy as I brushed my lips over his. He groaned and pulled me close. "Could you pick me up some double D batteries? I've been running through them like crazy." Oh, come on! He set himself up with that one, and you know it!

His grin disappeared. "Not exactly the kind of help I had in mind. Am I gonna find anything else in my bed?" he practically growled.

I giggled and reached under the covers to retrieve a couple more of the toys that Lula had so thoughtfully picked up at Pleasure Treasures for me yesterday. I held them up in both hands, and Ranger's eyes widened in surprise.

"Buy out the store, did you?"

"Lula says, 'put 'em all together and who needs a man'," I quipped and rolled over to stash the toys in the night table drawer.

"Is she right?" Ranger flopped down on his back and scrubbed his hands over his face. When I turned back, he had his eyes closed, and he was scowling. I stifled a laugh and snuggled down under the covers again.

"Maybe I'll do a comparison study," I said.

He snorted and shook his head. "I brought you a present," he said, turning to look at me.

_I'll just bet you do__!_ "You did? What is it?"

"It's a surprise."

_Some surprise! _I reached over and started sliding my hands over his cargo pants pockets. "Oh, is that the surprise in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

He jerked away and grabbed my wrist, holding my hand still. "Jesus, Stephanie! Are you trying to kill me?" He sounded pained, poor baby.

_Oh, you betcha!_ "What?" I said with as much innocence as I could muster. "I'm just looking for my surprise."

"The men are bringing it back."

"Well, come on! Let's go wait for them!" I jumped up out of the bed and headed toward the dressing room.

Ranger sat up, finally getting a good look at me. His pupils dilated, "Where the hell did you get _that_?" He pointed at my 'pajamas' and I could feel his eyes rake over my body.

I looked down at myself. "Ella got them for me because I'm always so cold." I was wearing black silk long johns that fit me like second skin. They were so tight, I was pretty sure Ranger could tell that I'd gotten a full Brazilian wax yesterday. I had to admit they were kinda like full-body Spanx … they made my butt look firm and tight, and my boobs perky.

"You're punishing me for something, aren't you?"

_Y__a think? _"Now why would I do something like that?" I fluttered my eyelashes at him. "What could you possibly have done to make me want to punish you?" I asked sweetly.

He had the nerve to quirk his eyebrow at me, and that sly grin curled his lips again. "Busted," he said with a shrug. He lounged back against the pillows with his arms and ankles crossed, still smiling at me, like he was proud of himself or something.

All that did was piss me off even more! "How could you _do _that to me, you rat?" I demanded. "You knew exactly what would happen if I went off sugar!" He just gave me his 200 watt-er. "And you did it on purpose!" I yelled, flapping my arms like a demented chicken. "Agh! You are such a _jerk_!" I picked up one of his boots and flung it at his head. Unfortunately, he deflected it.

"Stephanie, I warned you about giving information to the enemy," he laughed, holding up his hands to protect himself from the other boot I'd grabbed. "I'm an opportunist. Opportunity knocked. I had to open the door."

"So that makes it okay?" I practically shrieked and hurled the other boot.

He ducked, dammit! "All's fair in love and war…," he started.

"Not if the other side doesn't even _know_ they're at war!" My righteous indignation was showing.

"A-ha!" There went his damned eyebrow again. "Pot," he said dryly. "Meet kettle."

"What the hell is _that _supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean that I know why you come to breakfast in those sexy little pajamas. And why you're always half naked, or in a towel, or some see-through underwear when I come in here. And why you set up _this_ whole little scene." He wasn't smiling anymore. "Sweetheart, you declared war on me before you ever moved in here."

Crap! Einstein figured it out! "So, this was … what? A taste of my own medicine?"

He held up a finger. "A _sugar-free_ taste," he qualified, and I gave him my best Burg death glare. "Please note that I went out of town so that there would be no chance that either of us could take advantage of the other," he said nobly. I just rolled my eyes.

"Oh, you're a regular saint. You oughta be canonized." You could practically see the sarcasm dripping off my words. "Or is that castrated," I muttered under my breath.

"I heard that!"

"So, now what?" I huffed.

"Well, you've been waging war all this time," he said. "I'm thinking it's time I fought back."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "So I'm in trouble here?" I edged toward the dressing room.

"Big time," he gave me his wolf grin and slowly unfolded himself off the bed, stepping between me and the dressing room door.

Uh-oh. I knew exactly what kind of trouble Ranger was talking about. This was _so _not the way I thought things would go. Maybe this get-up wasn't such a hot idea after all. I mean, the plan was to torture Ranger, not myself! I needed an escape route.

He took a deliberate step toward me, and I took a step back. Chin tipped down, nostrils flared, pupils dilated, he looked like a predator, and that predator was stalking me. He took another step, and I did too, then another and another until the back of my legs hit the edge of the bed, and I sat down with a thump. Ranger closed the distance and stood between my knees, looming over me so I had to tip my head back to look up at his face.

Slowly, he reached one hand over his shoulder, grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled it over his head. I swallowed hard. My eyes riveted to his chest and shoulders and arms, all rock hard muscle, all that satin smooth skin. My fingers itched to touch him, and I had a sudden desire to lick his abs.

I realized I was sitting pretty much eye to eye with Ranger's crotch. Okay, that came out wrong, but you know what I mean. I watched, mesmerized, as he put his hand on his waistband and popped open the top button on his cargo pants, then moved down to his zipper. By then I was mouth breathing, my lips forming a perfect 'O', which really didn't help matters any. I quickly licked my lips, but that only made things worse.

"W … wha … what are you doing?" I stuttered.

"Firing the first shot?" he grinned. The double entendre wasn't lost on me.

His fingers tunnelled through the hair at the back of my head and he started unzipping. The sound snapped me right out of my stupor. "Ohhh, no!" I yelped, jerking away from his bulging crotch. "Not gonna happen!" I leaned back, and he leaned down, farther and farther until I was lying flat on the bed with Ranger hovered over me, his hands braced on either side of my head.

"Sooner or later, it will," he said, a sardonic smirk on his lips. He lowered his head and playfully sank his teeth into the side of my neck, the tip of his tongue laving the skin below my ear. "And sooner is better."

"Nope! No way!" I squeaked, and I slithered out from under him. Scrambling back across the bed, I tried to get to the other side so I could roll off and escape. He just crawled after me, that evil grin on his face.

I almost made it to the edge of the bed when he grabbed my ankle and hauled me back. I tried to kick at him, but he just flipped me over onto my stomach and straddled my butt. I flopped around like a fish, trying to buck him off me, shouting, "Get off!"

"I'm trying to," he said. "But you aren't cooperating." Ranger humor. I just screamed louder.

"Good thing this place is soundproofed," Ranger said. "Otherwise the men would probably think we were having wild, raunchy, welcome home sex."

"Let me go, you cocky son of a bitch!" The louse had the nerve to laugh.

"I'm cocky all right! Painfully so!" He lifted my hair and planted a kiss on the back of my neck.

I think I growled. He thought it was funny, which just enraged me all the more. He rose up on his knees and turned me over onto my back. I was ready for him though. I balled up my fist and took a swing at him, aiming for his jaw. He just caught my wrists and forced my arms up over my head, pinning my hands to the bed.

I was so furious, I was trembling. At least I was pretty sure it was from fury. Okay, so there might have been a teensy little bit of lust too, but I sure as hell wasn't gonna let him know that.

And Ranger was playing dirty. He slowly stretched out on top of me, his weight pressing me down into the mattress. "You like that, Babe?" He knew I did.

I absolutely was _not _going to give him the satisfaction of responding. I wasn't going to look at him or react in any way. I just stared up at the ceiling, holding my body as rigid as I could. It didn't faze him in the least.

"Tell me," he said, his voice as smooth and warm as melted chocolate. "Were you angry that I left you in a state?" he whispered, brushing butterfly kisses over my face and neck. "Or were you disappointed?"

Okay, that did it! Any desire I might have felt, 'poof', vanished. "You conceited rat bastard …" I fumed and tried to twist him off me. But Ranger just settled his mouth over mine, and I was a goner. His tongue slid between my lips, teasing, tasting, exploring in a slow, sensual glide, and I took off on a physical and emotional roller coaster ride. I fought him for about a nano-second before I fell under the Wizard's spell, all my rage morphing into lust that fed my growing need for him.

My resistance gone, I melted into him and kissed him back with every iota of pent up, sexually deprived, sugar-induced frustration I had in me. He felt my surrender, and his hold on my wrists loosened. His hands slid up to cover mine, palm to palm, our fingers twisted and twined together.

For most guys, kissing was just a way to keep physical contact while they were stripping you out of your clothes, a distraction on their way to getting laid. Not Ranger. Ranger was a master of the lost art of Making Out. For him, kissing was a sexual act all by itself.

His mouth was a lethal weapon, and being kissed by him overloaded my senses and overruled my common sense. I tipped my head back, and he slid his lips over my jaw and down my throat, setting my skin on fire. With singular purpose, he drove me closer to the edge of reason.

Again and again, his mouth left mine to lay kisses in my hair or on my eyelids, to graze the side of my neck or my shoulder with his teeth, to torture my ear or the hollow of my throat with his tongue. Each time he came back to feed on my mouth again, leaving me breathless, lifting me higher, winding me tighter. This was seduction at its finest, and I was helpless to do anything but be his willing victim.

He whispered a constant litany of all the sensual, erotic things he wanted to do to me, the things he was going to do to me, sending shivers through me, and making every muscle below my waist clench almost painfully. I had never been so turned on in my life.

I was drunk from his physical onslaught, my head reeling, heart pounding against his. I was desperate to touch him, to feel his skin against mine. I pulled my hands away and wrestled with my silk top. With a groan, Ranger helped me drag it over my head, his mouth and hands everywhere at once. I writhed under him, arching my breasts up to his mouth, dragging my nails over his back, feeling his corded muscles move under my hands. Making him shiver.

Ranger was as lost in me as I was in him. He reached back and lifted my knee, wrapping my leg around his hips. Fitting himself between my thighs, he ground his erection against me. A tidal wave of heat ripped through me, turning my brain to mush and my bones to jelly. My hips surged up to meet his, and I swear I felt the earth move … literally.

A muffled boom shook the building, and Ranger instinctively covered me, tucking my head against his chest. The lights went out and almost immediately flicked back on as the emergency generators kicked in. What sounded like every car alarm in a five mile radius went off. Black smoke boiled up outside the windows, and the ear-splitting shrieks of the building's internal fire alarms sounded.

Ranger was up off the bed in a heartbeat, dragging me up after him. "Hurry up, get dressed," he sent me staggering toward the dressing room. "Move!"

Ranger's phone rang, and he ripped it off the utility belt he had dropped on the bench at the foot of the bed.

"Speak!" he ordered, sitting to pull on his boots. He listened for a second. "Evacuate the building. Use the outside fire escape. I want a full report as soon as the building is cleared."

"Stephanie!" he called to me. "We have to get out of here! Now!"

"I'm coming!" I yelled back, zipping my jeans and grabbing a heavy jacket … and my gun. He pulled me out of the bedroom, through the living room, shoving me down the hall toward the front door.

"Head straight for the fire escape," he ordered.

"I have to get Rex first!" I said and tried to detour into the kitchen.

"No! I'll get him!" Ranger snagged the cashmere throw from the living room couch and disappeared into the kitchen. "Go! I'll be right behind you."

I pulled open the front door and was met by huge flames leaping out of a laundry cart that had been wedged into the doorway. I stumbled backward a few steps, bumping into Ranger as he came out of the kitchen. He shoved Rex's cashmere wrapped cage into my arms, braced his hands against the doorframe, and put the sole of his boot against the cart. It flew across the foyer and exploded against the elevator doors in a hail of sparks.

"Somebody's been playing with barbeque lighter fluid," he said.

I caught a whiff of the unmistakable odor, and it flashed me straight back to my childhood, and my dad squirting cans of charcoal lighter fluid into the grill. He'd singed off his hair and his eyebrows, set the back porch on fire … twice, and had killed the little maple tree in the backyard, shooting flames into the air so high that he set the leaves in the gutters on fire. The neighbors talked about taking up a collection to buy him a gas grill, worried that he'd burn down the whole 'Burg.

Sure enough, lying on the floor was an empty lighter fluid can and a bunch of wooden match sticks.

Grabbing the fire extinguisher off the wall, it only took Ranger a couple of seconds to put out the flames. We stood looking down at the charred remains of a pile of clothing. "Those are mine. Ella took them out of my hamper the other day."

Ranger and I looked at each other, and I didn't need ESP to know we were both thinking the exact same thing. No way could anybody get into the building to do this. It had to be an inside job.

"Don't worry, Steph," Ranger said, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. "We'll find out who's doing this." All I could do was nod. I was pretty sure I already knew who was behind this, and why. I knew in my gut that Ray and Donny and Buddy were the culprits. Ranger was gonna wring my neck when he found out it was all my fault.

We took off down the hall to the fire escape door, and I slammed my hands against the release bar to open it. The door wouldn't budge. "It's locked," I said over my shoulder to Ranger.

"Can't be," Ranger said and put his weight against the door. It only moved an inch. "Something's wedged against it from outside," he said.

Okay, now I wasn't scared, I was pissed. Somebody was trying to trap us. "Now what?"

"We'll just take the stairs to 6," he said calmly. "Come on."

Ranger checked out the stairwell. "There's some smoke, but we can make it down one floor," he said.

We ran down the stairs, and I pushed open sixth floor fire door, pretty much falling right into the arms of a fireman. "We've been looking for you two," he said to Ranger and me.

"We had a little trouble upstairs," Ranger told him.

I stepped out into the blustery wind on the fire escape and swore I'd never bitch about cold air again.

Cal, Eddie Gazzarra, and a couple of firemen stood at the bottom of the fire escape. Ella, Luis, and a bunch of the guys, who'd probably been asleep on four, waved to us and headed toward the street.

Once I got to the ground, Eddie slung his arm around my shoulders. "You been trying to cook again, Cuz?" he quipped and gave me a squeeze.

"I was afraid I was gonna _be_ cooked," I laid my head on his shoulder.

"All personnel accounted for, Boss," Cal was saying. "Men out on patrol have been alerted in case this is a diversion and one or more of our clients have been targeted, and I've called in all off duty personnel."

"Good," was all Ranger said, handing Rex off to Eddie. The Fire Chief rounded the corner into the alley, headed straight for Ranger.

"Hey, Chief!" A fireman yelled down from the seventh floor. "Something up here you should see!" He probably found whatever it was that wedged the door shut.

"Let's go find someplace warm for you and Rex," Eddie said, steering me toward his cruiser, idling in the street.

"There you go, buddy," Eddie said, putting the cage on the front seat. Rex didn't say anything, just wiggled his furry butt in thanks.

Emergency vehicles filled the streets around RangeMan. Merry Men milled around. Barricades had been set up to keep the lookie-loos at a safe distance. Eddie went off with the Fire Marshall, and I headed off to the deli across the street in search of coffee.

"Hey, Steph!" Binkie and Sybo jogged across the street to catch up with me. "You okay?" Binkie asked, holding the door for me.

"I guess." I told them about the burning clothes and the barbeque lighter smell and the barred fire door.

Binkie and Sybo exchanged one of _those_ looks. "Sounds like sore losers to me."

"Were they on monitors this morning?" I asked.

"Yup," Sybo said.

"That would explain how they were able to pull all this off." I turned and looked out the window, spotting the three of them standing by one of the barricades, watching the action and laughing. I grabbed my coffee and headed for the door.

"Whoa, Steph! Where you going?"

"To catch three rats," I said.

"We got your back," and they followed me out the door.

I strolled over casually and stood between Buddy and Ray, watching the smoke billow out of the garage. "What a mess, huh?"

"A crying shame," Ray said with a smirk.

"Well, the Fire Marshall found an empty can of barbeque lighter up on seven. Maybe the Arson guys can get finger prints."

"Nah," Buddy drawled. "Whoever did this was smart. He woulda wore rubber gloves."

"If they can find the gloves, they can lift prints from the inside," I said with a shrug. "They're gonna search the Dumpsters and stuff."

Donny's eyebrows shot up. "No shit?"

"No shit! Don't you watch CSI? You can learn a lot from those shows." I sipped my coffee and chattered away about CSI techniques.

Donny started to sidle off, hopefully to where he stashed the rubber gloves. Binkie followed at a discrete distance. Sybo stood back, watching me.

Buddy looked more than a little nervous, shifting from one foot to the other, his eyes darting around. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes but couldn't find his lighter. Ray handed him a little box of wooden matches. I had a tough time not doing my happy dance on the spot.

"Yeah, you'd be amazed at the stuff they can do. Like … whoever dumped all that lighter fluid will have splash-back on his clothes." Buddy paled and looked down at his pants and shoes. "And they can even tell who handled something as small as a … matchstick." I shifted my eyes to Ray. "DNA, you know."

"You said nobody'd find out!" Buddy hissed and took off through the crowd, Sybo after him.

Ray shoved me and vaulted the barricade, running down the street between the fire trucks, with me hot on his heels. He zigzagged, dodging people and leaping over equipment, trying to lose me, but no dice. I could run faster mad than he could scared. Screaming like a banshee, I took him to the ground with a flying tackle, knocking the wind out of him. He face planted, right in front of the building.

I hadn't done that in a long time, but it was like riding a bike … you never really forgot. We rolled around in the street before I got him over on his stomach and straddled him. Grabbing his thumb, I twisted it, pulling his arm behind his back. "Anybody got cuffs?" I yelled.

And that would have been the end of it, except then I saw the tow truck. It was hauling my beautiful, brand new Mercedes out of the garage. I just lost it. "I never even got to drive it, you ass wipe!" I bellowed and started wailing on Ray. I grabbed him by the ears, pulled his head back, then smashed his face into the street. Ray screamed like a little girl!

I would have kept on going, but the party-pooper showed up. Ranger wrapped an arm around my waist and picked me up off Ray. But I wasn't done yet and still managed to land a couple of kicks to Ray's butt.

"Stephanie, that's enough," Ranger said, setting me on my feet.

"I'm not finished killing him!" I snarled and lunged for Ray again.

"Remind me never to piss you off," Eddie said from behind us. "Here use these." Eddie slapped his cuffs in my hand so I could do the honors. He motioned over a couple of uniforms to haul Ray over to an ambulance so the EMTs could clean up his bloody face before they took him to the station. "He's gonna look real pretty in his mug shot."

We watched while Ray, Buddy, and Donny were loaded into police cars and driven away and moved onto the sidewalk so the fire trucks could leave. The barricades came down and the RangeMen headed back into the building. "So now what?" I asked Eddie.

"His buddies are singing like canaries," Eddie said. "With the evidence we collected, we got 'em on vandalism, destruction of private property and arson. The DA might even throw in an attempted murder charge because of the blocked fire door. With you to testify that this was all in retaliation for the poker game, we can put 'em away." Eddie gave me a kiss on the cheek and drove away.

Very slowly, Ranger turned to look at me. "Care to explain that?" he said, icicles dripping from his words.

I swallowed hard, reminding myself that he'd never hurt me … at least I didn't think so.

"Stephanie, look at me." I just shook my head 'no'.

He leaned in close. "You owe me." I heard myself whimper.

Grabbing my arm, he stalked back into the building through the garage, walking so fast I had to jog to keep up with him. Instead of getting on the elevator, we took the stairs that went down to the basement where the gun range was.

Gun range? Oh My God! He was gonna use me for target practice! It was one thing to blow up his cars, but I almost got his whole damned building blown up. I guess that was the last straw. But we went right past the gun range door. I looked at his face, his blank face, which gave nothing away.

Think, Stephanie! What else was down here? _The mail room!_ Maybe he was gonna pack me up and ship me off to Outer Mongolia or an ice floe in Antarctica. I never thought I say this, but I was gonna miss Trenton.

There was a holding cell down here. Was that where we were headed? Was he gonna lock me up and throw away the key?

We kept going down the hall, stopping in front of the interrogation room's one-way mirror. From this side, it looked like a big pane of glass, and unless the interior shade was raised, you couldn't see into the room. From the other side, it looked like a mirror.

Ranger turned me to face the glass, then stood behind me. He startled me by sliding his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. "Tap on the glass," he said.

A few seconds passed, and the shade rose. Sitting in a chair, handcuffed to a metal table, sat Antoine, Hal and Lester standing guard. Someone had seriously worked him over. He had a broken nose and a black eye. His jaw was swollen and his lip was split.

"Surprise!" Ranger said softly.

"You found him!" I squealed and spun around in Ranger's arms. "This is the best present _ever_!"

"I knew you weren't a flowers and candy kind of girl," he grinned. "North Carolina State Troopers picked up his buddies on drug trafficking charges, but we managed to hunt Antoine down and hauled ass back here. He can't hurt you anymore."

Pulling his head down to mine, I kissed that man like I'd never kissed anyone ever before. He looked a little stunned when the kiss broke, so I kissed him again.

He ran his fingers through my hair. "I have a few more questions for him, and then we'll take him to the station. I don't know how long that will take. How about we go to dinner tonight? Eight o'clock? We need to talk."

"You mean like a date?" I kissed him again. "I'll be ready." I went upstairs and headed for the closet to figure out what to wear.

By seven-thirty, I was ready to go. My makeup was perfect, my hair looked great, and I was dressed to kill. My coat and purse on a chair in the living room, I sat to slip on my boots when the front door opened.

"You're early," I called, looking up at Ranger.

Only it wasn't Ranger. Ella was standing in the doorway, pale and shaking. My heart lurched in my chest.

"Stephanie," she barely whispered. "There's been a shooting."

**TBC …**

**_A/N: Another chapter, another apology … I'm sorry it's taken so long to post, but this chapter just didn't want __to let itself be written. And you already know all my excuses, you've heard them all before! LOL! Anyway, I hope your holidays were fantastic, and that your 2011 will be your best year yet!_**

**_Oh! And of course__, Review Slut that I am, I'm going to beg for reviews … but you knew that too, right? Only a couple more chapters to go … Next chapter … Morelli! Dun-dun-dun!_**

**_Stayce_**


	33. At Long Last LOVE!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, Quotes from all 16 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse, Writer's Block, You know the drill …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Kashy, Friend Extraordinaire, to Lisa, Burggirl, for the laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, to Miranda,Comma Correctionist and Hyphen Houdini, for the Edit, as well as friendship and encouragement and letting me rant, and to Everyone who has read and reviewed Love … Love wouldn't be Love without you. **_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

"_**When I say, "I love you," it's not because I want you or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman.**__**"**_

_**Spike to Buffy**_

_**A/N: I've never been to Helene Fuld Medical Center, but they're listed as having a Trauma Unit, and I've based the description on a Medical Center in Houston…**_

_**Sue, from Babe_Squad, acted as my Technical Advisor for all things Medical. She's also the Princess of Peni, so if you should ever need information on that particular appendage, she's your 'go-to' girl!**_

_**Thank you Miranda, for suggesting Stephanie's 'Title'!**_

"_**There's been a shooting …"**_

**Chapter 33: At Long Last … LOVE!**

I heard what Ella said. I mean, I heard the words, but my brain refused to wrap itself around what she was telling me. I just sat there, dumbly, looking at her. "What …?"

"Oh, Stephanie," she said, leaning against the archway for support. "They're being taken to Helene Fuld because there's a trauma unit there."

What Ella was saying finally filtered through, and I lurched to my feet. "Ranger …?" was all I managed to get out.

"Yes …" Her voice broke.

My heart tripped painfully in my chest. "How bad?" It was barely a whisper.

Ella held out her hands, palms up, and raised her shoulders. Her mouth opened, but she didn't make a sound. She just stood there and shook her head, tears spilling down her pale cheeks. She didn't know.

Panic washed over me like a tidal wave, pulling me under, crushing me, drowning me. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe. I just stood there, frozen to the spot, and stared at her.

Ella came over and put a hand on my arm. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "It happened at the police station, and there were lots of injuries. Stephanie, they said …" She took a deep breath. "They said that there's one … dead." Her voice trailed off into a sob.

"Oh, God! Who?"

"They didn't say. It came over the police scanner."

Little black dots danced in my field of vision. I sank back down onto the couch and put my head between my knees. Dead! Not Ranger! It couldn't be Ranger! I'd know if he was dead. I'd feel it, right? _Right?_ Ranger was Batman … Batman didn't die.

I pulled out my cell phone and hit Speed Dial 1 … Ranger. It went straight to his voice mail. I sent a text, '911 – R U OK?' My hands were shaking so hard, I had to type it three times. I stared at the phone, waiting for him to reply, willing it to ring, but nothing.

Ella was talking to me, saying something about us waiting there in the apartment while the Merry Men found out what was happening. The fog I was wrapped in suddenly lifted. There was no way in hell I could sit around and wait for news. I'd go crazy.

There was only one thing for me to do. I had to find out what had happened to Ranger for myself. They were at the hospital, so that's where _I_ needed to be too. I had to see him with my own eyes, to touch him with my own hands. _I _had to make sure he was okay.

I shot up off the couch and flew out of the room. Ella tried, but there was no stopping me. "Stephanie, wait! You don't …."

I didn't hear another word, I just ran … through the living room, down the hall, out the door, Ella calling after me. I tore out to the foyer and punched the elevator call button, but it was down on the garage level, and I didn't have time to wait for it. I needed to get to Ranger.

Fear had wrapped itself around my heart, and I hit the stairs at a dead run, making it down seven flights in record time. Voices registered from behind me, Bobby and Zero, I think. I heard them pounding down the stairs after me, but I had no time to stop to see what they wanted. I was on a mission.

I burst out of the stairwell and into the garage, pressing the button on the keys that were somehow in my hand, searching for the vehicle they belonged to. The lights on the Cayenne flicked and, in a heartbeat, I was behind the wheel, screeching out of the garage and onto the street.

It was sleeting again but that didn't slow me down. I drove like a maniac. Speeding through traffic, cutting off cars, jumping curbs, running red lights, I was on automatic pilot, and it was all a blur.

All the while, my brain raced as fast as the car. I beat myself up for denying my feelings for Ranger. I berated myself for wasting time we could have spent together. Each slap of the windshield wipers brought another accusation. Why was I such a coward? Why didn't I fight for what I wanted? Why had I always made excuses? Why hadn't I ever told him that I loved him?

I'd fooled myself into thinking that I had all the time in the world. Like Ranger's 'someday', I had 'tomorrow'. I told myself I could always face reality tomorrow, tell him all the things he needed to hear … tomorrow. And then tomorrow became tomorrow, and the days slipped away. But what if there weren't any more tomorrows? What if I'd used them all up?

And if I did have the chance, would I be able to tell him the truth? Oh yeah. It'd been bottled up in me for so long, I was bursting with it. I'd tell him I loved him, and that I had for so long that I couldn't remember not loving him.

I'd tell him that whatever he was willing to give me, whatever time, whatever conditions … no strings, no relationship, no price, whatever it was, I'd grab it. It would be enough. Jeanne Ellen had said Ranger's relationships only lasted six weeks. I'd take it. I'd tell him that I'd rather have forty-two days of wonderful with him, than a lifetime of nothing special without him.*

It took forever to get across town to the hospital. I flew down Brunswick Avenue and whipped into the ER entrance, slamming on the brakes and skidding to a stop, missing the cop who was trying to wave me off by about an inch. It took a couple of seconds before it registered that the whole ER parking lot was jammed with police cars and ambulances and medical staff, everybody running back and forth.

"What are you, blind?" the cop was yelling, shining his flashlight in my face. I threw the Cayenne into reverse and squealed back into the street, spinning the wheels on the slick pavement. I floored it down the block and screamed into the main lot. Speeding up and down the parked-up aisles, I swung into the first available parking spot. It was marked 'Clergy' but I was sure God would forgive me.

I jumped out of the Cayenne and raced toward the ER entrance. Overhead, a Life Flight helicopter was landing on the roof. _Please, God … please … please … please… _

I was so focused on the ER doors that I never saw the cop in SWAT gear who stepped into my path, and I literally ran into him. If he hadn't grabbed me by the arm, I would have landed on my butt. "The Emergency Room is on lockdown. No one is allowed in. Return to your vehicle and exit the premises immediately."

"But my … my …." I didn't know what to call Ranger, and all I could do was point toward the ER. "He's in there and I have to …" I gasped out, choking on my emotions.

"No one is allowed into the building at this time. If you do not comply immediately, you will be arrested and charged with interfering with an officer in the performance of hi… "

"It's okay, Charlie. Let her through," a familiar voice said. I spun around as Big Dog jogged up and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "This is Stephanie Plum. She's Manoso's woman." He gave the SWAT guy a knowing look and steered me toward the entrance.

"No problem," the SWAT guy replied. "Go ahead in."

"What the hell are you doing out here without a coat or shoes? You're gonna catch your death!" Big Dog scolded.

I looked down at myself. Sure enough, I was barefoot and coat-less, not that I cared. "Do you know what happened? Who was shot?" I asked as he hurried me toward the door.

"Sorry, Steph, that I don't know. I was out on patrol and got sent over here. All I heard was that some gang-bangers shot up the station. Cops, bangers, perps, Rangemen, everybody was in the line of fire." The strain in Big Dog's voice was clear. "That's why the ER is on lockdown … so that nobody can get in to try to finish the job."

"Any idea who the … DOA is?" Just saying the letters made my stomach roll, and I was sure I was gonna throw up.

He tightened his arm around me and just shook his head. "No. And before you ask, I don't even know if Ranger is here. I just figured that's who you'd be looking for." He ushered me through the metal detectors and into the ER waiting room.

Big Dog snagged a blanket from somewhere and wrapped it around me. "You wait here," he said. "Let me see what I can find out."

I sank down onto a bench while he waded through the crowd around the sign-in desk, my legs suddenly too weak to hold me up. I don't think I'd ever been so cold in my life, and it had nothing to do with my lack of coat or shoes.

I looked around the packed waiting room. Back when Scrog shot Ranger, Morelli had driven me to the hospital. The ER had been filled with guys in black RangeMan uniforms. "Blood donors," Morelli had said. There wasn't a single RangeMan here. I didn't know whether that should console me, or scare the hell out of me.

Big Dog emerged from the crowd and squatted down in front of me. "Okay, listen. It looks like Ranger's here, but I couldn't find out anything else."

I started to get up, but Big Dog held onto my hands. "I'm sorry, honey, they won't let you into the ER," he pointed to the guarded doors. "All visitors have to be escorted to the patient by a staff member."

"How about his injuries or his condition?" I was desperate for any information I could get.

He shook his head. "They couldn't tell me anything," he said, looking around at the crowded waiting room. A couple of uniforms came in through the main door, escorting the Captain and a short, dark haired woman. "Shit!" Big dog muttered. "That's the Lieutenant's wife." The cop on guard snapped to attention and opened the door for them.

Big Dog and I just looked at each other. We both knew it was bad. "I'm sorry to leave you alone, but I gotta get back to work, kiddo." He pressed a kiss onto my forehead. "I'll come check on you when I can, and if I hear anything, I'll let you know right away."

"Thanks," I said. "I owe you," and I kissed him on the cheek. I pulled the blanket a little tighter and tried to figure out how 'Manoso's woman' was going to find her man.

Helene Fuld Medical Center wasn't like St. Francis where I was on a first name basis with everybody. There, the nurses and aides and orderlies, even the doctors, would slip me in the back way or turn a blind eye if I snuck in someplace I didn't belong.

Here, things were very different. Nobody gave a damn if I was the Bombshell Bounty Hunter or the Blessed Virgin Mary. Rules were rules, and nobody was gonna break them for _me_. I badgered the lady at the sign in desk for information and pleaded with the cops on the doors to let me in, but that got me nowhere.

I was on the verge of hysteria. Pacing back and forth, my stomach in knots, and praying that one of the cops would take a smoke or bathroom break wasn't getting me anywhere either. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and I was debating whether to pretend to faint or double over in fake pain, I was ready to do whatever it took to get me back into that ER.

I had just taken a deep breath, ready to scream and collapse on the floor, when a woman holding a clip board, breezed out a side door into the waiting area. I held my breath. "R. Reynolds!" she called. I watched as a couple of people converged on her, and she took them back into the ER.

I let out that breath. Hallelujah! There was my 'in'. I found a seat on a bench near that door and waited. A few minutes later the same woman came out again, called a different name, and several people gathered around her. I stood up and attached myself to the group. She led the way through the door, and I tagged right along behind them.

The ER itself was organized chaos. Cops stood guard at several of the cubicles while nurses, doctors, and aides hurried in and out. Technicians pushed x-ray machines and carts loaded with all kinds of equipment back and forth. Patients in wheelchairs and on gurneys were being brought in and out, some of them with police escorts. The hum of voices, kids crying, the P.A. announcements all added to the bedlam.

As 'my group' rounded a corner, I lagged behind. I knew that every ER had a board where the room assignments were posted. All I had to do was find that board, and I'd know where to find Ranger. Piece of cake!

I waited a minute longer before starting my search, just to make sure that the clipboard lady didn't notice I was gone and come looking for me. With no idea where to start, I picked a direction and took off. Almost immediately, a woman in scrubs and a white doctor's coat stepped out of a cubicle and confronted me. "Why aren't you in your room?" she demanded sternly, and I just about jumped out of my skin. "You shouldn't be wandering around. Have you been released?"

I realized that she thought I was a patient, not a visitor. Okay, this was good. I'd spent enough time in ERs to know the drill. I could handle this, no sweat. "I'm sorry," I said contritely. "I went to the restroom and got turned around. I don't remember what room I was in," I said.

She gave a weary sigh. "Well, come on, let's see where you belong," she said, ushering me to the desk.

We stopped right in front of the assignment board that I'd been looking for. I was almost giddy when I found Ranger's name next to a room number. Before she had a chance to ask my name, I said "Oh there I am!" I told the doctor Ranger's room number was mine.

"At the end of that hallway," the doctor pointed. "Last set of double doors on the right."

"Thanks," I said, trying to contain myself. "I can find my way from here."

A crash and a yell for help came from down the hall. "Now what?" she groaned and took off toward the noise.

The need to see Ranger, to prove to myself that he was okay, was overwhelming. I had to force myself to walk, not run down that hall. I didn't want to attract attention to myself and get kicked out of the ER now. Not when I was this close to finding Ranger.

But this was me we were talking about, and I'd used up just about all my patience. Halfway down the hall I broke into a run, skidding to a stop in front of the last set of doors on the right. In a holder on the door was a manila x-ray envelope with a label that read 'Manoso, R. C.'. I actually felt myself smile in relief.

I wasn't sure I should just barge in, but it was all his fault. If he had called me and told me what was going on, probably I wouldn't even be here at all! I put my ear against the door and listened, hoping I'd hear his voice, but all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.

Okay, so I really didn't need to talk to him, just see him, make sure he was all right. Probably it'd be okay if I just took a peek, right? I mean, I could wait for the right time to unload all my emotional baggage on him. I eased the door open and slipped into the room.

Whatever I was expecting, I wasn't prepared for what I found. The room was absolutely silent. No heart monitor beeping, no blood pressure machine huffing, no oxygen clicking, no voices chattering. Not a single sound. Only one dim light was on, and at first, I thought the room was empty. Frustrated and disappointed, I turned to leave. That's when I saw the still, sheet covered figure lying on a table that had been pushed into the corner.

It must have taken a whole minute before I realized I was looking at a body. All I could see were the soles of a pair of boots. Black boots. And legs, dressed in black cargo pants … like Ranger wore. Everything else, hips, chest, arms, shoulders, neck, head, was completely covered by the sheet.

In that instant, all the oxygen was sucked out of the room, and the floor tipped wildly under my feet. As hard as I tried, I just couldn't drag my eyes away from the body on the gurney. My head reeled as my mind absorbed what my eyes were seeing.

Finally, it hit me. Oh, God! I was too late. Ranger was dead. My heart dropped to the floor and shattered into a million tiny pieces.

Reality, in the form of sheer, gut-wrenching panic, crashed in on me, grabbing me by the throat, strangling me. I couldn't move; I couldn't breathe. I was frozen in my worst nightmare.

I finally forced my body to take a step backward, and then another, and another. "No … no, no, no, no, no …" echoed in my head as denial tried to dull the pain. I had to get out of there before I started to scream. I had to escape! I spun toward the doors, practically throwing myself at them. But no matter how hard I pushed and shoved, they wouldn't budge and I was trapped.

Hysteria bubbled up in my chest, and huge sobs wracked me as I frantically clawed at the doors. Finally pulling them inward, I stumbled across the brightly lit hall, slumped down onto a bench, and just let the tears come.

I don't know how long I sat there and cried, but finally I had no more tears. I didn't have the energy to raise my head or even open my eyes when a hand gently touched my shoulder.

"Bombshell?" a deep voice rumbled.

"Oh, Tank," I whispered to the big man who hunkered down in front of me. "What am I gonna do without him?"

"Who, Steph? Who are you talking about?"

Oh, God. Tank didn't know. I looked at him through tear-swollen eyes, whispered "Ranger," and I pointed toward the double doors.

Tank shot me a worried look, stood up, and strode into Ranger's room, coming back in less than a minute. He squatted down and took hold of my hand. "Did you look?"

"What? No." I shook my head, and a new wave of tears hit me. "I couldn't. I know I should have, but I just … c-couldn't …" and I started to sob again.

Tank handed me his handkerchief and put an arm around me, hugging me to his chest. I heard him on his cell, barking orders to Lester. "Santos, get back to the ER, ASAP! Just do it!" Maybe Lester didn't know either. "It's going to be okay, Bombshell, I promise." But how could it be, with Ranger gone?

I sat on the bench next to Tank, my body and my mind gone blessedly numb. Tank was saying, "Steph, are you listening to me?" but I wasn't. I couldn't. I honestly didn't feel a thing … not shock, not panic, not grief, not even my heart breaking, although I knew it was. My thinking was clear, rational. I was completely unemotional. How odd was that? For me, I mean. It was like I was having an out-of-body experience. I was totally detached from what was going on around me.

And then I felt it, through the numbness … that little tingle on the back of my neck, the one that always told me Ranger was near. I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed hard. Even dead, he had that effect on me.

"Bombshell ..." Tank said softly, and I managed to drag my eyes open. "Look," he pointed down the hall.

I made the effort to turn my head, and there, at the end of the hall, one hand pressed to his side, was a pale, obviously in pain, but very much alive, Ranger. My "Ohhhh" came out on a shaky sob.

"Stephanie?" Ranger sounded surprised to see me. As soon as I heard his voice, I was on my feet and running toward him.

Not sure I could believe my eyes, I stopped just short of him, more than a little afraid he was a figment of my imagination. I reached out to touch him, just to make sure he was really there. I laid my hand on his chest, over his heart, and felt its reassuring beat against my palm.

"Ooooh, you're real," my voice quavered as I touched his arm, his shoulder, his cheek. "You're not dead!" and suddenly I was laughing and crying at the same time. I know I must have looked like hell and sounded completely irrational, but I just couldn't help it. The emotional roller coaster ride I'd been on had brought me closer to the edge of crazy than I'd ever been before.

"No, Babe," he said, his brow furrowed. "Battered and bruised, but not dead."

Ranger wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to him. He was so warm and alive, and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and hold on for dear life. "Why did you think I was dead?"

"_Why_?" I took a step back and stared at him, open-mouthed. "How about because we heard you were shot and somebody was dead and nobody knew anything and you didn't call or answer your phone?" Hands on hips, I glared at him. "The guys said I should wait while they found out what was going on, but you know I can't wait for anything and I was so scared that you were the one who was dead so I had to come find you myself to make sure you were okay," I sort of gathered steam as I talked.

"But the doors were all locked and they wouldn't let me in or tell me anything so I snuck into the ER and I was afraid they were gonna throw me out but they thought I was a patient and I finally found out what room you were supposed to be in but when I got there you weren't and I saw the b-b-body i-in the room and I-I th-thought it was y-you … but it wasn't and you're n-not … and I'm just so h-h-happy you aren't and I decided I finally have to tell you the t-t-truth r-right n-n-now…" I wailed.

Ranger's eyes went all soft, and he pulled me back against his chest, pressing his lips to my hair. I cuddled into his neck, sobbing. "It's okay, baby," he whispered. "Just breath slowly. You're going to make yourself pass out." He smoothed his hand up and down my back. "Anything you have to tell me can wait until later."

I shook my head against his shoulder. "No, _now_! It can't wait anymore!" I sobbed.

"Okay, okay, take it easy. What is it?"

I raised my head and looked up at him. "It's all m-my fault." I sniffed and nodded like a bobble-head. He arched an eyebrow at me. "It _is_!" I insisted, even though he hadn't argued with me. "I wasted s-so much t-time … I never h-had the g-guts to tell you … an … an … and I … and I should have …"

Yeah, yeah. I know I was babbling. All my plans about waiting, baring my soul and telling him I loved him later on, were shot to shit, and I just couldn't shut myself up. Too bad I wasn't anywhere near coherent.

"… t-told you a l-long time ago, b-back when I told M-Morelli … but I thought it w-was wrong because there were t-two of y-you and I knew I d-did and h-he did but you d-didn't, at least that's w-what I th-thought, so I didn't an-and that was wrong too … but I-I thought there would be t-time and then th-there wasn't any anymore and I-I'm sorry that I didn't b-because I have for so long and you n-needed to know so w-whatever you want, it's okay," I nodded at him like a lunatic. "… even if it's only f-f-forty-two days, it'll have to b-be enough and I'm s-sorry I w-was stupid … but n-now you know s-so it's all r-right. Right?" I looked at him expectantly.

But, I didn't get an answer. Ranger just looked at me, then gave his head a shake, like he was trying to clear it. Tank and Lester stood next to him, staring at me with their mouths hung open. Ranger cut his eyes from me to Lester, who said, "Don't look at me!" to Tank, who made a face and gave a 'how-the-hell-do-I-know' shrug, and then finally back to me.

"Well?" I finally said. Okay, so I admit that I wasn't real sure how Ranger would react to my confession that I loved him. I just needed him to know how I felt. I could have handled his blank face, I guess, but I sure as hell wasn't prepared for him to look at me like I was nuts, and tears welled up again.

"Stephanie, what are you trying to tell me?" He grabbed my hand. "In twenty-five words or less."

I gaped at him. There I stood, baring my soul, stripping myself naked, and he didn't get it? "What's the m-matter with you?" I demanded, flapping my arms like a demented chicken. "Haven't you b-been listening to m-me?" I was getting lightheaded and leaned against the wall for support. "I'm telling you that I-I'll play by your rules. Whatever you want, for as long as you want, it's fine, as long as we're together."

"Hey! That was more than twenty-five words," Lester said.

Tank smacked him upside the head. "We're outta here!" Tank grabbed Lester by the shirt and dragged him down the hall, leaving Ranger and me alone.

"Why, Stephanie?" Ranger whispered. "Why do you want us to be together?"

The room started to spin, and my voice sounded oddly tinny and very far away. I threw my hands up in defeat. "I've been trying and trying to tell you, but you just aren't listening! I said … I _love_ you!"

I took a deep breath, but it was too little, too late. The last thing I remember was Ranger's face, breaking into his full-on, 1000 watt smile … just before I slid down the wall to the floor.

If you're gonna pass out, I guess the best place to do it is in an ER. When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a gurney with a doctor on one side of me and Ranger on the other. Apparently, I had a panic attack and hyperventilated. The last time that happened was the last time Ranger got shot. Do we see a pattern here?

After the doctor left, Ranger held my hand and stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers. "You okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "How about you? I was just so happy to see you alive, I never asked how you were," I said kind of lamely.

"Cracked rib."

"Not the same one Scrog splintered?" Ranger gave a single nod.

"Ouch!" I struggled to sit up.

"We have to talk, Babe."

"I know. But please, not tonight," I whined.

"No," he said wearily. "Not tonight. I don't think either one of us is up to it."

"I never thought I'd hear me say this," I sighed, "but I'm all talked out."

"I'm not surprised," Ranger chuckled, then grimaced and held his side. "Not after your little speech before."

"Sorry about the verbal vomit, but it all made perfect sense to me," I told him with a shrug. "Scary, huh?"

"Not so much." He smiled and tucked my hair behind my ears. "I speak 'Stephanie', and I understood the three words that counted." I knew exactly which three words he meant.

Once my breathing and oxygen levels returned to normal, I was ready be released. Ranger, on the other hand, was a completely different story, and it took forever to get him sprung from the ER. Tank and Lester filled me in on what had happened at the station while we waited for the doctor to examine Ranger.

"Okay, Bomber. Here's the 4-1-1." Tank patted my knee, and Lester slung an arm around my shoulder. Probably all the better to catch me in case I keeled over again.

"I don't understand. How could that happen? I mean, it's a police station, for cryin' out loud. If anyplace is safe, it should be the cop shop!" I said.

"Yeah, you'd think. But I'm guessing these guys were waiting for us to bring Antoine in, 'cause the whole thing started right after we walked him in the back door."

"At first we thought it was a drive-by. They sprayed the whole front of the station with automatic weapons fire, but then they busted in the front door, bullets flyin' all over the place," Lester said. "The only real target was Antoine. Everybody else was collateral damage."

"The desk sergeant and Robin Russell got hit, and the Lieutenant took two to the chest. Some poor schlub waiting to be booked took a bullet, Ram got winged, and Lester got cut by flying glass." Lester held up a finger with a band-aid on it, and Tank rolled his eyes. "All three bangers went down, and Antoine died on the way to the hospital."

"One of the rounds hit Ranger in the chest." I must have paled because Tank squeezed my hand. "He was wearing a vest and the bullet didn't penetrate, but it knocked him on his ass, so he got shipped over here with everybody else."

"The doctor needed to make sure there wasn't any internal damage from the impact or that there weren't any slivers of his rib floating around in his chest, just waiting to shred something vital. So he sent Ranger for an MRI."

"And by the time I got here, Ranger was having the test, and that's why the room was empty," I said. Tank and Lester both nodded. "Well, empty except for the body that scared the crap outta me! I thought it was Ranger."

"That was Antoine. He was the DOA," Lester said.

"He was a cocky little punk," Tank added. "He kept telling us that his buddies would make sure that he never saw the inside of a jail cell."

"He was right, too!" Lester snorted. "I just don't think he counted on one of 'em putting a bullet in his brain as the way to do it."

"Musta come as a helluva surprise," Tank replied, and I shuddered.

"I found the orderly who stashed Antoine in Ranger's room," Lester added. "They had to put him someplace out of the way while they waited for the cops to come and take photographs, document injuries, fingerprints, get evidence. You know the drill, Bomber. The guy found an empty room and put him there until the ME could come collect him." All I could do was nod. What a nightmare this had turned into.

We watched as the doctor wrapped Ranger's ribs and listened in as he gave Ranger strict orders to rest and take care of himself. I could see Ranger mentally rolling his eyes. Right then and there, I became his self-appointed guard dog, determined to save him from himself.

I handed Lester Ranger's prescriptions for pain meds and muscle relaxers. "Would you get these filled at the hospital pharmacy while we wait for his paperwork?" I whispered.

"You really think you're gonna be able to get him to take them?" Lester snorted. "You know he wouldn't even take an Advil after Scrog shot him. That's why he was such a friggin' bear for so long. Couldn't admit that he was hurting."

"I'm pretty sure I'll be able to persuade him." I said to Lester.

Lester's grin turned into a leer. "You gonna wear one of those naughty nurse outfits? Skin tight uniform, real short skirt, killer high heels, all unbuttoned with your buzzongas bustin' out?" He did a little hip wiggle and cupped his hands in front of his own chest. "I'd pay big bucks to see that," he grinned, and Tank smacked him upside the head.

"I heard that, Santos!" Ranger growled from the other side of the exam room.

"At least he can't order me down to the mats," Lester whispered to me with a cocky grin.

"Don't bet on it!" Ranger barked. "I have a long memory!" Lester blanched and took off for the pharmacy.

Ranger and I both got our release papers, only too happy to escape the hospital. When we got to the door, Tank wrapped me in his coat, scooped me up, and carried me out to the big black SUV that Lester had idling out front. He deposited me in the back seat and then he helped Ranger climb in next to me.

Ranger was even paler than before, and just leaned back against the headrest with his eyes closed and his hand pressed to his side. He must have felt me staring at him because he reached over, took my hand, twining his fingers with mine. "Don't worry, Steph. I'm okay," he said softly.

"I know," I said, and I squeezed his hand. He didn't open his eyes, just gave me his 'almost' smile. More than anything, I wanted to put my arms around him and hold him. But I just couldn't bring myself to do that in front of the guys.

"So," I turned to guys. "Why didn't anybody bother to pick up a phone and call me?"

"Bomber," Tank said sternly. "News like that is never delivered by phone. We don't want anybody running off, half-cocked …"

"Or half-dressed!" Lester added in reference to my lack of shoes and coat.

Tank glared at him. "… risking their own lives by getting behind the wheel of a car. I called Bobby to relay the news and bring you to the hospital. You, however, had other ideas."

Without opening his eyes, Ranger turned his head toward me. "It _won't _happen again," he said. I had to wonder if he meant the not calling me part, or the getting shot part, or me running off by myself part. But just like that, the subject was closed.

The rest of the trip back to RangeMan was made in silence. When we pulled into the garage, we were met by a bunch of the Merry Men, all wanting to reassure themselves that Ranger was okay. I hopped out of the SUV and waited for Ranger, who was moving very slowly.

"Steph," he said quietly, so that no one else would hear, "I'm going up to four, catch a shower and try to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

I slipped my hand into his. "Please come upstairs with me," I whispered. "Let me take care of you like you always take care of me."

He looked at me, into my eyes, for a couple of long seconds. "That sounds nice." With one hand pressed to his aching side and his arm looped around my shoulder, Ranger let me help him onto the elevator.

Ella was waiting for us when the elevator doors opened on seven. "There's food in the kitchen, if you want anything special, let me know. Luis has brought up a recliner for you to sleep in, like last time. It will be easier for you to get in and out of than a bed. I brought extra pillows and blankets. If there's anything you need, just call." And she closed the door behind her.

Ranger and I walked slowly through the apartment, his arm still around my shoulders. "Are you hungry?" I asked him, but he just shook his head. I snagged a couple of bottles of water as we passed the kitchen.

"I just want a shower and some sleep." With a groan, he lowered himself onto the leather bench at the foot of the bed. "The rib is a killer when I move, and I know from experience that tomorrow will be worse."

I stood in front of him and held out a bottle of water and two pain pills. He started to argue, but I interrupted, "Save your breath, mister. You're taking those pills." He rolled his eyes up to mine. "Remember how you forced me to take my meds?" I bent down so we were face to face. "You said you'd pinch my nose shut until I opened my mouth."

"And you think you can do the same?"

"Oh yeah! With that rib, I can take you _down_!" I grinned at him.

"You probably could," he said with a snort of resignation and dutifully swallowed the pills.

I helped Ranger get out of his clothes and into the bathroom, then carefully unwrapped the Ace bandage that covered his chest. I got a look at the huge angry bruise that bloomed on his side from his ribs to his hip, marring his perfect body. As bad as it looked, and as much as it hurt, it could have been so much worse.

I watched Ranger stand in the shower, one hand braced against the wall. The warm water cascaded over his head and back, hopefully easing the aches and pains out of his muscles. I didn't think I'd ever seen him look so tired.

I quickly stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the shower behind him. Lathering up my sea sponge with his shower gel, I ran it over his body as gently as I could. "That feels good," he murmured as I washed his back. "I could get used to this." I could too, but I didn't say that out loud.

I liked taking care of Ranger. I'd never really had an opportunity to do that before, and I realized that our relationship had always been one-sided. Ranger had always been _my _caregiver. Well, that was gonna change, because now we were on a two-way street.

I dried myself off and put on pajamas, then helped Ranger into flannel sleep pants, just in case he ran into Ella. Ranger leaned against the bathroom counter and I was kneeling in front of him, spreading arnica gel on his bruises as gently as I could.

As my fingers dipped beneath his waistband, his breathing changed and his abdominals clinched. He grabbed my hand. "Stephanie, you're killing me," he growled, and pulled me to my feet.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," I apologized.

"Not _that _kind of pain," he said, cutting his eyes to mine.

"Oh," I replied, handing him the tube of gel. "I guess maybe you should do this for yourself?"

"It won't feel as good," he gave me a wry smile.

_For either one of us_, I thought as I wrapped his ribs the way the ER doctor had.

By the time I got Ranger settled in the recliner with lots of pillows for support and a blanket tucked around him, the pain pills had kicked in, and he was already dozing off. I kissed him on the lips, climbed into his big bed, and turned out the light.

A minute later, his voice came out of the darkness. "Babe?" He sounded drunk.

"Yeah …"

"Sorry about dinner," he slurred.

"It's okay, _you_ can owe _me,_ for a change," I grinned. "Sleep now."

A minute later he whispered "Babe?"

"Ummmm?"

"Say it again," he mumbled.

My heart fluttered in my chest. "I love you," I whispered back.

Ranger murmured something unintelligible. I chose to believe it was, "I love you, too," and I smiled all the way to sleep.

Unfortunately, Ranger was right, and he was in worse shape the next day. Hoping that he'd take it easy, I was able to convince him to work from his office in the penthouse instead of getting dressed and going down to the fifth floor.

What I couldn't do was convince him to take more pain pills and, oh boy, was Lester ever right! Ranger in pain was a _bear_!

It was almost lunchtime when I peeked into the office to check on him. Dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, he was working at his desk, his untouched breakfast on a tray beside him.

"You're hovering," Ranger said flatly, without looking away from his computer screen.

"Am not!" I retorted.

"Stephanie, you've checked on me every three minutes since I came in here."

I opened my mouth to argue, but even _I _couldn't argue with the truth. "Sorry," I said with a sigh.

He finally swiveled his chair around and looked at me. "Look, I know you're worried, but other than aches and pains, I'm fine. I don't deal with being out of commission well. I hurt, and I'm grouchy, and I'm better off alone."

"Do you want me to leave?" I really hoped he didn't. "I can move in with my parents."

"No, Steph. I don't want you to leave. I want you to find something to do."

"Oh, okay," I said, more relieved than I wanted to admit. "I guess I could go downstairs and do some background checks." Yippee! My favorite thing.

"I have a better idea," he said, waving me into the room and pointing to his computer screen. "I've gone over all your research and recommendations for the parts we need to stock here at RangeMan for our security installations. I've run all the numbers, and these savings are significant."

I was leaning over the back of Ranger's chair, reading off the screen, trying hard not to kiss his neck. It would be absolutely the wrong thing to do, especially considering his cracked rib and all, but it was _so_ tempting. He always smelled so great, like his Bulgari Green shower gel. How it stayed with him all day was a mystery. His black T-shirt spanned his biceps. He wore a watch as his only jewelry. His back looked athletic under his shirt. I thought it would look even better without the shirt. All I had to do was touch my lips to his neck, and the shirt would be gone.

"Babe," Ranger said. "If you don't back up a couple inches, I'm gonna be in a world of hurt. Not that you aren't worth the pain. I'm good and I'm motivated, but I know enough not to try to please a woman when I'm not in top form."

I didn't move. I was contemplating.

"Babe?"

I stepped away from his chair. "I was reading the screen. Buying directly from the manufacturer cuts out the middle man and always saves money," I said.

"I'll tell you what. If you can negotiate a contract at these prices, I'll sign it," Ranger said.

"Me? Really?" I sounded like a little kid. I had to restrain myself from jumping up and down and clapping.

"Really!" he said with a small smile. "Why don't you get started now? You can use my office."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Wait a minute! Is this just a ploy to get me out of your hair?" I asked suspiciously.

"I wouldn't insult you that way," he said seriously. I already knew that. "Go, negotiate!" He shooed me away.

I stood my ground and planted my hands on my hips. "Not until you eat some lunch. You didn't have anything but coffee for breakfast."

"I wasn't hungry."

"Are you hungry now?"

He slid a hand up the back of my leg from my knee to my thigh. "I'm getting there."

I slapped his hand away. "You are _so_ bad!" I laughed and took the breakfast tray back into the kitchen. I nuked mugs of soup that Ella brought up, loaded chicken salad sandwiches, fresh fruit, and bottled water back onto the tray and lugged it all into Ranger's office. I set the tray on his desk and pulled a chair over for myself.

"So," I started as I doled out the food. "If I can get this negotiation under way, I'm gonna need RangeMan's lawyer to work up the contract and …." I kept up the chatter all through lunch and was glad to see that Ranger put a good dent in his food, even if it was just to get me to stop pestering him.

I'm pretty sure I heard Ranger breathe a heavy sigh of relief when I finally left the apartment and headed down to five. Three hours later, when I tip-toed past his office, I had an appointment with the owner of a small parts manufacturing company right outside Trenton. Tomorrow afternoon we'd start contract negotiations.

Determined to give Ranger as much alone time as possible, and went directly to the dressing room. I already decided that I wouldn't be wearing my RangeMan uniform to this meeting. I went through my whole side of the closet and finally decided on a black wool suit and a white silk t-shirt. I couldn't decide between black boots or black heels to complete my 'professional' look.

"Looks like you're dressing for success," Ranger said from the doorway.

"Is that a problem?" I asked.

"Not at all," he looked at the clothes I'd chosen. "I haven't seen you in a skirt in a long time," he said, his pupils dilating.

I held up a boot and a shoe. "Which one? I asked him.

Ranger grinned. "Boots. If I remember correctly, you could really haul ass in those heels," he said. "The memory gave me sleepless nights for a long time."

That got a smile out of me. "Sorry to interfere with your sleep."

He moved close to me and nuzzled the side of my face. "I plan on interfering with yours, a lot!" he whispered.

"Oh, _you're_ feeling better!"

"Getting there," he grinned.

The next day, I admit it, I was excited. Well, maybe nervous. Okay, I was a bag of snakes. I was dressed and ready to go a good two hours before I needed to leave. I re-did my hair at least six times, finally deciding on a neat French twist. No surprise, my makeup was perfect the first time round. Light on the eye shadow, heavy on the mascara, glossy red lips. Jersey Girl here … we come out of the womb knowing how to do our makeup. It's a gift.

Ranger insisted on working out of his fifth floor office, so I had the apartment to myself. I paced, I rehearsed what I was going to say, I went over my proposal and checked my calculations a dozen times. I had been good at my job at L.L. Martin, but it had been a long time since I'd negotiated anything but my bond fee with Vinnie. And really, that didn't take any negotiating, just a well placed threat to rat him out to Lucille.

I was pacing back and forth, carrying on a conversation with myself, when I realized that Ranger was standing in the living room doorway, watching me.

"Jeez!" I yelped and clutched at my heart. "Make some noise, will ya?"

"You're nervous," he said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah," I said and blew out a sigh. "I don't want to let you down."

"You never disappoint, Stephanie."

"Is that a compliment? Or are you saying that your expectations are so low …"

"Stop it," he ordered. "Here, maybe this will help." He held out the white box he had under his arm.

"What is it?" I asked, looking at the box.

"Only one way to find out," he said.

I sat on the couch and put the box on my lap. I lifted the top and put it aside, and unfolded the tissue paper. "Oh, Ranger! It's beautiful!" I lifted a gorgeous leather briefcase out of the box. It looked like a large, sleek handbag with double handles long enough that I could carry it over my shoulder like a purse. The inside was gusseted with a place for my laptop, files, phone, everything.

"It's just perf…" I stopped in mid-word when I looked at the front of the briefcase. The initials 'S?P' had been written on a Post-It strip and stuck to the front of the bag.

I looked up at Ranger. "Um, what's with the question mark?" I said, pointing at the initials. "You know my middle name is Michelle."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire," he waggled a finger at me. "Michelle is the name your parents let you choose when you threatened to run away from home because you hated your _real_ middle name so much."

I gaped at him. How the hell had he found out? What was I thinking? This was Ranger we were talking about. He could find out anything.

"Well, cripes! Why would anybody saddle a little kid with a name like that? Nobody can spell it, much less pronounce it. It's _embarrassing_! It sounds like one of those Japanese movie monsters, like Godzilla," I groused.

"Don't worry, I'll keep your deep, dark secret."

"Good, 'cause this is one of those, 'I'd tell ya, but then I'd have to kill ya' things."

He gave me a full-on smile, and I went over to him and cupped his face in my hands and kissed him gently.

"Thank you, really. It's a wonderful, thoughtful gift. It has a place for everything, even my gun."

"And is your gun loaded?" He cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Uhhhhhhhhh …."

Hector was part of my contract negotiating team, and he was going with me to this meeting. I'd be driving my new Mercedes SUV for the very first time, and Hector was riding shotgun. I met up with him down in the garage where he had the SUV started and ready to go. Today, there'd be two 'chase vehicles' following us, but I didn't even give that a second thought anymore. As a kid, I'd always wanted to lead a parade. Now I had my own.

Ranger was still in pain and moving slow, and even though I told him not to, he came downstairs to see me off. He took a small box from one of his pockets. "This is from RangeMan," he said, handing it to me.

"Wow! This is better than my birthday!" And I opened the box. Inside was a lovely little silver case, engraved with curlicues and my initials, no '?' this time. It held business cards in RangeMan black with the logo embossed in silver. My name was written in script below the logo, and beneath that was my title … 'Procurement Specialist'. It sounded very military to me.

Tank and Lester strolled off the elevator and peered over my shoulder. Lester reached around me and snagged a card from the case.

"Procurement Specialist?" He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at me. "Sounds like you're RangeMan's official Madam! Now _that's _a company perk I could go for! I think I'd like you to procure me twins … triplets would be better. Tall, blonde contortionists, with big boobs, and legs th…"

Tank smacked Lester upside the head and shoved him toward one of the SUVs. "You just never learn! Go wait in the truck!" I heard him bark.

"You still nervous?" Ranger asked as we watched Tank march Lester across the garage.

"Nope. You've distracted me sufficiently." I wanted to kiss him, but we'd agreed no PDAs in front of the Merry Men.

"My pleasure," he gave me his wolf grin. "But I haven't even begun to distract you." He pulled the collar of my coat up around my ears.

"Promises, promises," I shot back. "You still owe me dinner."

"I'll make you a deal …" he started.

"Unh-unh-unh! From now on, all 'deals' will be negotiated," I said smugly.

He just grinned and shook his head. "_You _are a piece of work!"

I tapped his chest with my finger. "And don't you _ever _forget it!" I grinned back.

With a wave, I hopped into my brand new, spanking clean, spiffy black Mercedes SUV and pulled out of the garage.

I wasn't entirely truthful with Ranger. I was still a little nervous about this whole contract business. Even though I'd had a lot of experience, most of the negotiations I'd been involved in for E.E. Martin had more to do with me scooting around a desk, trying to stay out of reach of some sleazy manufacturer who was trying to cop a feel, than actually haggling over pricing. I didn't expect the same kind of problems now, especially with Hector along as my wingman.

Carluccio Parts Manufacturing was a family-owned business with a solid reputation, and we were given a guided tour by the production foreman. Most of the employees had been there for years and were all on a first name basis with Sal Carluccio, the owner.

We were ushered into Carluccio's office and greeted by a small, rotund, jovial man who looked like everybody's favorite grandpa. But looks could be deceiving, and he turned out to be one tough businessman.

It took hours to hammer out a deal that made us both happy. I had to admit that I really enjoyed the whole process, and by the time we finished our first round of negotiations, I was certain that Ranger would have no trouble signing this contract. We both faxed off our proposals to our respective lawyers, and there was nothing left to do but wait for their approval.

I was practically bouncing in my seat as I drove back toward Trenton. "You done good, Chica," Hector said. "The Boss will be proud of you."

"I hope so." I glanced at him. "There's a lot riding on this. But you worked just as hard on this whole deal as I did."

"We make a good team," Hector nodded and we bumped fists.

"So, partner," I cleared my throat. "You know I love you, right?"

He eyed me suspiciously. "You wan' something, si?"

"No! Well, yes! It's just … would you consider riding in one of the chase cars? I want to stop at Tasty Pastry and then at the bonds office to show off my new toy," I patted the steering wheel. "And you can follow me!"

"Did you ask Ranger?" Hector asked.

"Oh, come on! He isn't my _father_!" I whined. "I've been locked up in that building for forever! And I never get to go _anyplace_ alone! Pleeeease Hector? You guys will be right behind me! I promise I'll tell him myself as soon as we get back! I'm begging here!" I gave him my biggest, saddest puppy-dog eyes and stuck out my bottom lip for good measure.

He held his hands up in surrender "Si, si! Jus' stop whining!" and he pulled out his cell phone to call Hal and Lester in the chase cars. Two minutes later I was on my way to Tasty Pastry, all by myself, singing along with my radio at the top of my lungs, just like the good old days. It felt great!

I practically staggered out of the bakery and to my car with a box of donuts and a tray of coffee for the girls. I also had two boxes of assorted pastries that I'd have to sneak into the break room for the guys, and a birthday cake … just for me! I figured I earned it! In a better mood than I'd been in for a long time, I headed for the bonds office.

The parking gods were with me, probably because Ranger had bought me the Mercedes and his parking karma hadn't expired yet, and I pulled into a space right in front of Vinnie's. I hopped out and waved to the girls before I stuck my head into the back seat to get the coffee and donuts. I was so focused on trying not to christen the car with coffee, that I was barely aware of the motorcycle that pulled into the parking space in front of me. My peripheral vision caught a blonde, in black leather pants, get off the back of the bike and head into the bonds office.

Lula stared out the front window, her mouth hanging open. I thought she was staring at the Mercedes. Lula was hard to impress, but it looked like I'd succeeded this time, and I grinned at her and called, "Open up!"

I was almost to the door when a voice behind me said, "Long time no see, Cupcake."

Shock stopped me dead in my tracks and I felt a stab of pain in my chest. Hoping I wasn't showing what I was feeling, I swallowed hard, composed my face the best I could, then slowly turned to face him. "Morelli," I said.

"Nice ride," he tipped his head toward the Mercedes. "Real 'uptown'."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Whoever invented small talk should be tortured and killed slowly.

"You doing okay?" he asked. I was amazed at how _civil _we were both being.

"Yes, I am, thank you," I nodded, and I realized that I _was_. Thanks to Ranger, I was way more than just okay. "You?"

"Yeah." He straddled the bike and looked me over from my face to my feet and back up again. "You're looking good," he said. There was something in his voice that I just couldn't seem to put my finger on.

"You're looking … different, too," I said. I was surprised at just _how_ different Morelli looked. He sported a beard and had let his hair grow, a short braid hung out from under his knit hat. He looked like he'd bulked up some, too. His thighs were more muscular under his tight fit jeans. His chest looked wider and his arms bigger under the flannel shirt and quilted vest.

He pulled off his gloves, took out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one up, taking a deep drag before tossing the match into the street. "Yeah. Things change," he watched me through a cloud of smoke, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a sort of sad smile.

I looked straight into his eyes. "Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow." He nodded, obviously getting my message.

A big Harley came down Hamilton, hacked a U-turn in the intersection, and pulled into the same space as Morelli's bike. Joe and the other driver exchanged curt nods. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him.

"Well, you take care of yourself, Joe." I turned to go into the bonds office, but I caught his reflection in the glass. He got off the bike and was following me.

"What's the matter, Cupcake, you need permission to talk to me?" His smile became a sneer. "Or maybe you only answer to 'Babe'? Is that it? You come when Manoso calls? Drop your panties when he snaps his fingers?"

"You concern is touching, if a bit late." I shot back. "You should have thought about that before you transferred ownership."

What the hell had flipped his switch? From polite to asshole in .5 seconds flat. I new land speed record even for Morelli! The fact was, he sounded bitter, like he'd been the injured party, the one who was dumped, instead of me.

There was no way I was going to debate that out here on the street, or anywhere else for that matter. I had moved way past wanting any explanation from him. I didn't need it because I didn't care anymore.

The door to the bonds office opened behind me and the blonde came out. She wore skin tight leather pants and sported a tattoo on her neck. She strutted past me and stood next to Joe, snuggling up to him, and put her arm around his waist. He responded by slinging his arm around her, his hand on her butt. She took the cigarette from his fingers and took a long drag, blowing the smoke in my direction as she studied me.

"Hey!" she said. "I know who you are! You're that dumb bitch Joey dumped while he was in stir." She turned and rubbed her surgically enhanced boobs against him. "Now he's got a _real_ woman," Blondie sneered, then puckered up and planted a wet one on Joe's cheek.

Oh, she was a real class act! "Only if real women are made outta silicon," I said sweetly. The Jersey Girl in me really couldn't let that 'dumb bitch' remark go unanswered, ya know?

Blondie clinched her fists and hissed at me like a snake.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, a second language? I thought you could only moo!"

Her eyes bulged out. "You callin' me a cow?" she challenged.

I gave a nonchalant shrug. "If the hide fits …" I shot a pointed glance at her skin tight leather pants. She let out a growl and made a lunge for me.

"Cut it out, Marla," Joe practically snarled and shoved her away from me. He reached over and snatched the coffee and donuts out of my hands and pushed them into hers. "Get inside and park your ass until I tell ya different."

"Jeez, Joey!" she whined, but did as she was told.

The guy on the other motorcycle never moved, he just watched us. He straddled his bike with his arms folded over his chest and chewed on a toothpick, taking it all in. For some reason, I got the feeling Joe was putting on a show for this guy's benefit. I had to wonder who he was that Joe felt the need to impress him.

"Come here," Joe snapped, and made a grab for my arm, but got my coat instead. "You and me are gonna have a little talk, in the alley."

"I don't _think_ so!" I snorted and tried to pull away from him.

Lula threw the door open and took my hand, trying to drag me inside. "Let her go, asshole!" Lula bellowed.

"Butt out, fat ass!" Joe yelled back. He looped his arm around my waist and lifted me right off my feet. Pulling me away from Lula, he carried me into the alley. I kicked and twisted and fought, but all that got me was shoved, face first, up against the wall.

Joe's hand was fisted in my hair and he yanked my head back so he could look in my eyes. "What's the matter, Cupcake? You used to like this when Manoso did it." He gave a bitter laugh. "Bet he never had to drag you, did he? You always just trotted right after him like a bitch in heat!"

"Cut it out, Joe! You're acting crazy!" I demanded.

"You think I didn't know about all the times you slunk out here with him like some kind of bitch in heat? Think I couldn't smell him on you? Didn't know he had his hands on you? On _my_ woman?" he spat.

"Let go of me, you jackass!" I reached back and clawed his face.

"Oh, claws! Maybe you're just an alley cat?" Joe grabbed my hand, twisted it behind my back, and pinned it between our bodies.

The guy from the other motorcycle stepped into the end of the alley and watched me struggle with Joe. In that instant, I recognized him. He was one of the men that had been in the courtroom the day Joe was released from jail.

The fact that we had an audience just pissed me off all the more and I kicked back and caught Joe in the shin with the heel of my boot. He cursed under his breath.

"Stop fighting me," he hissed in my ear. "It'll only get you hurt!" That only made me fight all the harder. He obviously had a death wish, and at that point, I was so mad I was ready to make his wish come true. I could have happily killed him with my bare hands!

"It's my turn to send you home to him smelling like me!" he yelled. His weight pressed me against the wall and his hand twisted in my hair so hard it brought tears to my eyes. My head pulled back, he brought his mouth came down on mine so brutally I felt my lip split. He forced his tongue into my mouth, the taste of cigarettes, and whiskey, and my own blood, making me gag.

"The guys miss you, Cupcake," he gave a harsh laugh. "Maybe you should pay 'em a visit." He took my wrist and forced my hand down between us, jamming it over his crotch. He laughed and pumped his hips. "Yeah, the guys missed that hot little mouth of yours, too!"

As suddenly as he grabbed me, Joe let me go. I staggered, trying to find my balance. When I turned, Joe had his hands raised and was being bent backwards by Hector, who had him by his braid. A butterfly knife was pressed against Joe's throat, a thin trickle of blood trailing into his shirt collar.

"I didn't know you had a Chihuahua, Cupcake," Morelli said, his voice full of contempt.

"Si! A Chihuahua with sharp teeth, pinche pendejo." Hector pressed the knife in a little deeper. "You don't got no badge to hide behind no more, culo. You jus' a little man with a big mouth."

"Hector, don't," I gasped. "He isn't worth it."

Hector ignored me. "You listen good," Hector growled, all street talk. "You put your hands on her an' I slice you open. I leave you at su mama's door wit you guts in you hands. Look at her, I cut out you eyes. Say her name, I cut out you tongue. Jus' think about her when you fuck you puta, I cut off you dick and shove it down you throat." Hector cut off Joe's braid and held it up in front of his face. "Jus' like dat!" he laughed coldly.

He looked at me wipe the blood from my mouth, and with a flick of his wrist, Hector sliced Joe's lip open. "Don' think I won't, punieta." He stepped back from Morelli, and Joe straightened up, wiping the blood off his lip with the back of his hand.

Joe didn't even look back at Hector, he just stopped in front of me. "I'll be seeing you _again _… Cupcake," and he grinned and chucked me under the chin, then sauntered down the alley to the street.

Morelli's smile worried me. But the thought of telling Ranger about all this? Now _that_ scared me to death.

**TBC …**

A/N: So, Stephanie finally figured it out. She's in love. With Ranger. 'Bout damned time, don't you think? And what about that middle name she hates so much? And how the hell is she gonna tell Ranger about her run in Morelli? Will Steph be able to keep Ranger from seeking revenge? _Should _Ranger seek revenge? And what the hell was Morelli thinking? Who's the guy on the motorcycle? So many questions that I don't have the answers to ... HELP! LOL

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed … only two more chapters to go until The End! *sob*

* Paraphrased from Steel Magnolias.

Pinche pendejo = F-ing dick head

Culo = ass

Puta = whore

Punietas = jerkoff


	34. The Power Of Love!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut, Quotes from all 16 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse, Writer's Block, Real Life, you know the drill …**_

_**A/N: Thank You to Miranda, Comma Correctionist and Hyphen Houdini, for Editing and Beta-ing Love, to Kashy, Friend Extraordinaire, and to Lisa, Burggirl. Without your laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, as well as letting me rant to my heart's content, I'd be in a straight jacket. **_

_**Thank You to Everyone who has read and reviewed Love … Love wouldn't be Love without you.**_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

_**"The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman's heart."**_

_**Josiah G. Holland**_

Chapter 34: The Power of Love!

Morelli was strolling out the front of the alley to the street, when Hector and I heard a couple of muffled gunshots. It sounded like they came from inside the bonds office. Before we could even react, Lula came barreling into the end of the alley from the parking lot, screaming like a banshee. Connie was hot on her heels, and both were definitely armed and dangerous.

"Where'd that mutha-fucka go?" Lula bellowed, holding her Glock in both hands and pointing it in all directions. She'd obviously been watching too many TV cop shows lately. "Where you goin', shit-for-brains?" she yelled when she spotted Joe. "I'm gonna bust a cap up yo' ass for puttin' hands on my girl!"

In full rhino mode, she took off down the alley after him. Connie and I grabbed the back of her hot pink sweater in a futile effort to keep her from running out to the street and unloading a full clip into Morelli. She dragged the two of us halfway down the alley before Hector wrestled the Glock out of her hand. "Mama, you not bustin' nobody nowhere," Hector said, still speaking fluent 'street'.

"Hey!" she yelled. "What the hell you do _that _for? I gotta make that ass wipe pay for what he done to Steph here!" She balled up her fists and advanced on Hector. Connie and I just backed off, edging toward the parking lot to escape the carnage. This was gonna get ug-ly!

"You don' worry 'bout Morelli payin'." Hector calmly popped the clip out of the Glock, ejected the round from the chamber, and handed the weapon back to Lula. With an evil grin, he held up the braid he'd cut off Joe. "I take care a Mo-rell-i! He's lucky I din cut off sonthin' lower!"

Lula's eyes got wide, and she broke into a huge smile. "You got balls, little man. You got great big balls!" She gave Hector a nod of approval and a slap on the back that almost knocked him over.

While Hector and Lula bonded, I turned to Connie. "I heard gunshots."

"Oh, that was me," she rolled her eyes. "Lula and I were trying to get out here, but Joe's buddy wouldn't let us out the front door, and we couldn't get the back door open."

"How come? That's Vinnie's favorite escape route." Vinnie would regularly slink out the back door to the parking lot to hop in his car and leave Connie to deal with whoever he was trying to avoid … like 'collectors' for bookies, loan sharks, hookers he'd stiffed. No pun intended.

"Vinnie, the chicken shit, installed one of those new "thumbprint" locks so that nobody could sneak in the back door on him. We were trying to get out, the guys were trying to get in, and we couldn't get the damn thing open." Connie huffed.

"So what were the shots?" I asked.

Connie just held up her .44 Magnum and grinned, "I used my key!" Oh boy! Was Vinnie gonna be pissed!

We heard the motorcycles start, and we all turned to look down the alley toward the street. The bikes revved up, made U-turns, and roared off down Hamilton Avenue. Seconds later, Lester and Hal came around the building, holstering their guns. We could practically feel the tension radiating off both of them as they walked toward us.

"We made 'em leave, but what a pair of assholes," Lester shook his head. "I always wanted to knock Morelli down a couple pegs, but there ain't no more down for him to go! You see that bimbo he's got hangin' on him?"

"Morelli said to tell you that he'd be seeing you again, real soon," Hal said.

"Yeah, and his buddy was egging him on. Said you needed to be taught who's the boss," Lester added. "I don't like the sound of that."

He narrowed his eyes and checked out my bloody lip. "He hit you?" he bristled, dabbing at my mouth with a handkerchief.

"No!" I blew out a deep sigh. "He kissed me." I slumped back against the wall.

"Ewwwww!" Connie curled her lip.

"Tell me about it!" I griped. "But thanks to Hector, Joe's got a matching split lip," I said to her. "And a new haircut!"

"Gotta love Hector," Connie grinned. Hector sent her a wink.

"Who's that guy he's hanging out with?" Hal asked and jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"He's one of the bunch who was in the courtroom the day Joe was released," I shrugged. "I don't know who he is, though."

"That's Little Paulie Giamatta," Connie said. "He and a bunch of his buddies came up from D.C."

"What're they doing up here?"

"Word is that Paulie's trying to take over D'Wayne's old enterprise." Connie always had the "insider info". "There's a hole in the market since D' and most of his crew got clipped."

"The local gangs aren't going to like that," Lester said.

"The Family, either," Connie added. "Paulie doesn't have the money or the muscle to pull off something like that all by himself, and nobody knows who's backing him. It's got everybody nervous."

"If Morelli's mixed up in that kind of stuff, he's too far gone to ever make it back," Hal said. No one could argue with him; we all knew he was right.

Looking miserable, Hal edged closer to me. "This was all my fault, Steph." Hal hung his head. "It was my idea for us to park the SUVs behind the bonds office. We didn't know Morelli had you in the alley. Hell, we didn't know Morelli was here at all! We thought you were inside with Connie and Lula! If one of us had just double parked out front, none of this woulda happened." He blew out a big sigh. "It was a good thing Hector decided to go around to the front door through the alley when we couldn't get the back door open ..." He held out his big hands. "And I'm really, really sorry."

I put my hands into Hal's and squeezed them. "Hey! It wasn't anybody's fault but Morelli's. If you guys had gotten involved, probably it woulda gotten real ugly, real fast."

"Not as ugly as what Ranger's gonna do to me when he finds out." Hal shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground. "I'll be lucky if he only fires me."

"Ranger's not gonna do anything to you, Hal. I'll talk to him. He'll understand." I really was trying to cheer Hal up.

Everybody turned and gaped at me. "Ranger? Understanding?" Connie snickered. "Where _you're _concerned? I don't _think_ so!"

"Yeah! Ranger don't take kindly to people disrespectin' him!" Lula agreed.

"Or his woman! And I let Morelli put hands on you," Hal sighed. "I'm a dead man!"

Lester slapped Hal on the back as we all headed into the office through the back door, which now had a gaping hole where Vinnie's new lock had been. "Don't worry, little man. I'll put in a good word for you!"

"Hey! You're as much to blame as I am," Hal shot back.

"Me?" Lester tried to look innocent. "No, no, no! I just followed your lead. This was all _your _fault! Been nice knowing ya!" And poor Hal just whimpered.

"Lester! Stop torturing Hal!" Connie snapped and gave Les her best Burg death glare. Lester cringed and looked away.

"So, how do we handle this?" I asked when we were all inside divvying up the donuts and coffee.

"I think you oughta be the one to tell the Boss what happened," Lester announced around the donut he was snarfing down.

"Why me?" I whined, without moving the ice cube I was holding to my split lip.

"Because he won't order _you _to meet him down on the mats at 6am tomorrow morning," Lester whined back at me.

"He's got a broken rib, he's not gonna be beating up on anybody," I countered.

"Don't bet on it," Hal said with an unhappy sigh. "That's how he got back in shape after Scrog shot him."

"I wouldn't worry about that if I was you!" Lula chuckled. "I'm bettin' he'll wanna work off all that negative energy on a different kinda mat." She elbowed me and winked. A little thrill of something scuttled down my spine.

Lester chuckled, but Hal looked confused.

Lester rolled his eyes. "Mat … _mattress_," he explained. Poor Hal blushed bright pink. Hector just rolled his eyes.

"Okay, so what happens if he decides to go after Morelli, huh?" I said, trying to get everybody back on topic. "How am I supposed to stop him?" The thought of 'angry Ranger' made me shiver. The thought of Ranger, angry with _me_ made me want to wet my pants.

"Maybe you should talk to Tank?" Hal offered.

All things considered, that was probably the best idea of the day. I pulled out my phone and dialed Tank, arranging to meet him as soon as we got back to RangeMan.

"You guys are gonna back me up with Ranger, right?"

"Uhhh …," Hal looked at his feet. "I was, uh, thinking that maybe I should stay out of the building until … like, uh, forever?"

"Yeah!" Lester agreed. "You probably need some company … just so you don't get into any more trouble." He nodded like a bobble-head.

Hector slung his arm around my shoulders. "I need to visit mi madre in Puerto Rico!" he laughed.

Swell. "My heroes!" I snarked. "Just don't tell anybody at RangeMan what happened. Okay? If Ranger gets wind of this before I can tell him, we're all up shit's creek!" I stomped to the door with the Three Mouseketeers hot on my heels. I turned back to Connie and Lula. "That goes for you, too!" I pointed at them.

Connie zipped and locked her lips; Lula put her hand over her mouth and crossed her heart. I knew their intentions were good, but these were Jersey Girls we were talking about. We all knew I wouldn't be gone ten seconds before they were both on the phone.

Ya know, my life defined 'ironic'. When I motored out of RangeMan that afternoon, on my way to my meeting, I was excited and upbeat, and I felt like I was leading a parade. The big black SUVs were the floats, the Merry Men were the clowns, and if I cranked up my radio, I didn't even need a marching band.

The trip back to RangeMan felt like a funeral procession, complete with black vehicles and dead men walking. Did it come as any surprise that my whole day had bottomed out? Hell, no-o! This was me we were talking about. I guess I had too much practice with things going to hell in a heartbeat. How sad is that?

All of us were pretty down. Lester and Hal were worried that their heads would be on the chopping block because they allowed Morelli to get his grubby paws on me. Hector was angry with himself that he'd let me drive alone. And me? I was bummed just thinking about what Ranger's reaction was gonna be, especially since I'd been elected to tell him about the whole mess. That whole "kill the messenger' thing had me a little freaked out, and I was giving some serious thought to just phoning him with the details.

Luck was with us, sorta. Ranger and Bobby had gone off to meet with a new client and wouldn't be back for a couple of hours. Since nobody had reported in to RangeMan, nobody in the building had any idea what happened at the bonds office … yet! This was a very good thing, because nobody could rat us out to Ranger before I had a chance to figure out just how to break the news to him myself.

Tank was a lifesaver! He listened to my whole story, chewed on it for a minute, and shook his head. "Look, Bombshell," he said, as he sat tipped back in his desk chair. "Your best bet is to tell Ranger right away, no hedging. Be upfront about what happened. Just relay the facts, like you were reporting an 'on the job' incident."

"Remember, I know you." He pointed a finger at me. "So, don't editorialize. _That'll _only make it worse. Don't fib, he'll know you're hiding something, and whatever you do, don't get emotional. If you get upset, he'll feel obligated to do something about it."

He slung his arm around my shoulders and walked me to his office door. "It might not be a bad idea if you could get a couple of those pain pills into him first."

My jaw hit the floor! "You want me to drug him?" I squeaked, astounded that Tank would come up with something like that.

Tank sighed deeply. "Ranger went down to the gym and worked out after you left."

"Oh, you're kidding!"

"I wish. That man's got a real fierce need to get past this broken rib and back into fighting shape." Tank said, and then his face split into a big smile. "Well, maybe 'fighting' isn't the right 'F' word for what he wants to do with you."

I felt my face turning bright red. "Ta-ank!" I whined, and Tank chuckled.

"In any event, he's gonna be in a pissy mood. He's hurting, and he'll need those pills. He overdid it, he knows it, but he won't admit it. But," he tapped his forehead, indicating he'd had a great idea, "on the upside, it's a legitimate reason why we can't let him go running off to play Avenger."

"Tank," I said, the admiration I felt clear in my voice. "You're brilliant! And I had no idea you had such a wide streak of sneaky in you."

He gave me a mock bow. "I consider it my foremost survival skill." We both laughed. "I'll let you know as soon as he gets back to the building. You call me if he tries to leave."

"Okie-dokie. Wish me luck." I sighed, and stood on my tip-toes to kiss Tank on the cheek. "Thanks, Big Guy."

"Any time." I turned to go down the hall, but Tank's hand on my arm stopped me, and I looked back up at him. "You're good for him, Steph. You're exactly what his life's been missing."

"You really think so?" I asked, a little surprised that Tank got so personal.

"I know so," he said.

"Does he?"

"He's getting there," Tank grinned.

Up in the penthouse, I dropped my keys in the silver dish on the sideboard, put the cake box in the kitchen, and headed into the bedroom. I hung up my coat, put away my boots, and laid my purse and spiffy new briefcase on the leather bench at the foot of the bed.

Living with Ranger, the neatnik, was rubbing off on me. If I were in my own place, I would have just dumped everything on the floor in the foyer and dealt with it later. I really did need to find a place of my own. There were only a couple of weeks left of my forty-six day sentence, and then I'd be homeless… again!

I checked myself out in the dresser mirror. Connie had repaired the damage that Joe had done to my French twist, and Lula had fixed my make up before I left the bonds office. There were no telltale signs of my run in with Morelli, except the split lip, of course, but even that didn't look too bad.

I padded back into the kitchen in my stocking feet and opened the cake box. "Hell-o, gorgeous!" I smiled at the rose bedecked birthday cake. Grabbing a fork, I dug in, eating it right out of the box.

By the time Tank called with a heads up that Ranger was back in the building, I'd made up my mind to tackle the Joe incident right away, before I chickened out. I had worked my way through half the cake and most of a quart of milk, and I was officially sick to my stomach. Whether the queasiness was a result of sugar shock, or nerves, really didn't matter.

The clink of his keys hitting the silver dish on the sideboard signaled Ranger's arrival, and he leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching me. He had his suit jacket hooked on his finger and slung over his shoulder. His tie was loosened and the top button of his shirt opened, his sleeves rolled up over his forearms. He was sex on feet.

I stopped eating, my fork halfway to my mouth, to stare at him. He may have looked sexy, but he didn't look good. His face was pale, and tension and fatigue showed in the lines around his eyes and mouth. His hand was pressed to his side, making it obvious that he hurt.

"I take it the meeting didn't go well," he said softly. I could hear sympathy in his voice.

"No, it went great!" I replied, a little surprised. "Why would you think it didn't?"

"Comfort food." He nodded toward the cake box.

I grinned at him. "No, _celebration _food." I forked up an electric blue rose and held it out to him.

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "I don't think so, Smurfette."

"Wha?" I said around the icing rose that I'd popped into my own mouth.

He waved a finger in front of his mouth. "You're blue."

"Bu?" I ducked down and looked at my reflection in the chrome toaster that sat on the counter top. Sure enough, my lips, teeth, and tongue were bright, kid cake icing blue, and I looked like I was morphing into a Smurf!

"Oh, great!" I laughed. "So much for the sophisticated professional," and I headed for the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I passed him in the doorway, he reached out and snagged me gently around the neck, bending to give me a light kiss on the mouth.

"Yum!" He said, licking his lips. "You taste like a party," and he bent to kiss me again.

"I could say the same thing about you, and you weren't even eating cake!"

He ran his thumb over my bottom lip. "What happened? Stab yourself with the cake fork?"

"Oh, har-dee-har-har! I grinned and hustled into the bathroom. I'd wait to tell him about the lip until after I got those pills in him.

Half a tube of toothpaste later, I was almost back to human color. I grabbed a couple of Ranger's pain pills and went back to the kitchen.

Ranger was leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping water. He held himself stiffly, and I was sure that whenever he relaxed his muscles, that rib ached.

"We're a real colorful pair," I sighed. "I'm blue, and you're sheet white." I stood close to him and ran my hand up and down his back. "I think maybe you overdid it a little today." He grunted in reply.

I held out my other hand to him, the pills in my palm. He looked at them and just shook his head no. I really wasn't surprised; Ranger never willingly gave up control. I just closed the pills in my hand and leaned against the counter, mirroring his position. Neither of us said anything for a couple of minutes, but he was very aware that I was watching him closely.

"I do, you know," I finally said.

"Do what?" he said, studying the bottle of water in his hands.

"See who you really are." His eyes instantly snapped up to mine. I'd managed to surprise him.

He knew that I was talking about the visit from my "Dream Lover", about the voice in the dark, _his_ voice, whispering, "See me. See who I really am. See me, Stephanie … See me …."

For a long time, I had tried to convince myself that it hadn't been real, that it had been my Mega-Margarita fueled imagination, or my subconscious, or wishful thinking. But even I, the Queen of Denial, had to accept that it had really happened. I knew his voice, his taste, his smell … I knew the feel of his hands and mouth and body. No, he had been in that room, and not in my imagination either, but in flesh and blood. And now _he _knew that _I_ knew.

"And?" It was his turn to watch _me _closely.

"And, aside from the obvious, like handsome and sexy, I've seen the man that I've known you were all along. You're brave, you're loyal, ethical, honest, hard working, ambitious." I pushed off the counter to stand in front of him, and I reached up to unknot his silk tie. "And yes, like it or not, you have a little bit of superhero in you."

"But even a superhero has a human side, you know," I said, pulling the tie out from under his shirt collar. "My study also confirmed that you're stubborn, pigheaded, infuriating, proud, opportunistic, have a world class ego, and in your own mind, at least, are _always_ right!"

I folded the tie carefully and laid it on the counter, then moved so close to him that we were touching from chest to thighs. I felt his breath hitch as his arms went around me. "I've seen that when you're worried, you get these little lines on your forehead." I gently traced the tip of my finger between his eyebrows.

"And when you're tired, the lines are here," I touched the outer corners of his eyes. "And you wear pain here," I barely touched my lips to the corner of his mouth, "and here," I whispered, brushing my lips across his mouth to the other corner.

"I see you for who you really are, Ranger. And right now, who you really are, is a man in pain." I held out the pills again. "Please?" I whispered.

Ranger looked at me for a few long seconds, then, without a word, he lifted my hand to his mouth. His eyes never left mine as he licked the pills off my palm with the tip of his tongue. The move was so erotic that I stopped breathing. My mouth went dry and my panties went damp. I never wanted him more than I did at that exact moment.

"The things I do for you," he murmured, wrapping his arms around me and pressing his cheek against mine.

No, I thought. It isn't what you do _for _me; it's what you do _to_ me. "Thank you," I whispered back, and pressed a kiss on his mouth. We just stood there, holding each other, and I felt him gradually relax against me.

Ranger reached up and, one by one, gently pulled out the pins holding my French twist in place. He ran his fingers through my hair, loosening the curls, and I winced when he touched the tender spot on the back of my head, where Morelli had pulled my hair. Ranger's fingers whispered over the spot again, and then he leaned back and studied my face, his brow furrowed as he took in both the split lip and the faint scrape on my cheek from the brick wall.

"Are you going to tell me what happened, or do I have to figure it out for myself?" His voice had an edge to it.

Time to face the music. I braced a hand against the counter for support, and tried to channel Joe Friday. Just the facts, ma'am. Only the facts.

I took a deep breath and dove right in. "Okay. After the meeting, I went to Tasty Pastry and then to the bonds office to see the girls. I ran into Morelli and his girlfriend instead."

Ranger didn't say anything, just stood in front of me, blank face firmly in place, and folded his arms over his chest.

"Joe and I had a very short, very civil conversation while the girlfriend was in the office. Then one of the guys from the courtroom showed up. Connie said he's Little Paulie Giamatta?" Ranger gave me a curt nod. He obviously knew who he was.

"Anyway, Morelli's whole attitude changed. He got crude and sarcastic. It was like he was showing off to impress this Paulie guy. Joe made some rude comments about our trips to the alley. I fired back. He upped the ante, I did, too. The girlfriend tried to join in, but she's not a Jersey Girl. She didn't stand a chance."

Ranger just stared at me for a long minute. "Your lip," he said flatly. Uh-oh. Those two-word sentences were never a good sign where Ranger was concerned.

"Morelli acted like an ass," I shrugged.

"How?" Oh boy! One word sentences were even worse.

"He wanted me to go into the alley with him, and I refused. We wound up in the alley anyway." I didn't have to tell Ranger that Morelli had carted me into the alley like a sack of potatoes. I was sure he'd figured that out all by himself. "It was weird. Paulie just stood and watched. Joe tried to kiss me, I resisted, he got a little physical, and my lip split."

"That it?"

"Pretty much," I could do two word sentences, too.

"My men?"

"They were there, in the parking lot. I asked for some privacy, and they backed off until they thought things were getting out of hand. Hector came into the alley, broke up the party, and gave Joe a matching split lip _and_ a haircut. Hal and Lester went out front, made sure Paulie and the girlfriend didn't get involved, and then ran them all off." I held out my hands and shrugged. "The end."

"Did Morelli or Giamatta threaten you?"

I shook my head. "Nah, Joe just said he'd be seeing me again." Ranger didn't react, just stared at me like he was trying to measure _my _reactions to the whole incident. It wasn't like Morelli had really hurt me. More like he just pissed me off. And really, that was nothing new, at least not where Joe was concerned.

I needed a change of subject here. "Look, Ella's going to be here with dinner any minute," I looked at the kitchen clock. "Why don't you go slip into something a little more comfortable?" I used my sexiest voice and walked two fingers up his chest, hoping to make him smile. But no dice. He just turned and went toward the bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt as he went.

That had gone a lot better than I thought it would, but still, my hands were shaking as I took a bottle of wine from the fridge and poured myself a glass. I gulped down half of it before I was steady enough to collect place mats and napkins to set the table for dinner. I laid out the silverware and water glasses, and put the wine bottle next to my place; probably I was gonna need a couple of glasses of wine tonight.

My spidey sense was tingling, something was off, but I couldn't figure out what. My first thought was Ranger, so I went to the bedroom to make sure he was okay. Just as I reached the door, Ranger flung it open from the inside and strode right past me, out into the living room, headed for his office.

He wasn't in sweats, like I expected, but was dressed in jeans and boots and a black leather jacket. A .45 automatic was clipped to his belt. I just knew in my gut that it was one of the unregistered guns from his safe, and my heart tripped in my chest.

"Where are you going?" I was trying to keep my voice light despite the panic I felt.

"Out," he said, without stopping.

"Where?" I asked, even though I was sure I already knew the answer.

"Not your concern."

I followed him into his office, watching as he took himself off the RangeMan roster for the rest of the night and shut down all his personal trackers. He put his phone on his desk and slipped a prepaid cell into his pocket, leaving no way for anyone to trace where he went. So not good.

"How come?"

He took a breath, but bit back whatever it was he was going to say. "Personal business," he snapped at me, impatience evident in his voice. He didn't look at me as he turned toward the door.

"Hey! I thought there weren't gonna be any more secrets between us." I knew I was pressing my luck here.

His back to me, he hesitated for a couple of long seconds, his fist clenching. "I'm going to talk to Morelli," he said over his shoulder, then headed out of the office.

"Morelli!" My voice was shaking as I grabbed his arm to stop him. "Why?"

Ranger shook off my hand. "He hurt you! I will _not_ let him get away with that!"

"Ranger, let it go. It's over!" I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

He stopped and half turned to look at me. "Over?" he snorted, his blank face gone. "Stephanie, it just started!"

I moved past him so I was standing between him and the door. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I challenged him.

He stopped and put his hands on his hips and looked down at the floor. His lips pressed into a thin, tight line. He was clearly not happy with my questioning him, but that was just too damn bad!

Finally, he looked up, anger flashing in his eyes. "How many times did you go into that alley with me?" he demanded, but didn't give me a chance to answer. "Lost count, didn't you?" He moved to stand right in front of me. "Bet Morelli knows. This town is gossip central, there are no secrets. He knew about each and every trip."

I was totally taken aback by his anger. "Oh, I …"

Ranger cut me off. "Did he ever let on he knew? Demand you stop letting me kiss you? Touch you? Did he get angry? Jealous?" He watched for my reaction. "He didn't, did he?"

I realized that, this afternoon, Morelli had pretty much told me he knew all about the alley. I had to wonder what else he knew about my history with Ranger … but never bothered to mention.

"No," I said carefully. "He never said anything until today." I _really_ didn't like where this conversation was headed.

"He never said anything to me, either." Ranger practically spat. "He never once confronted me, told me to stop poaching, to keep my hands off his woman. Nothing." He sounded so disgusted. "Why not? Why didn't he step up and protect what was his? It wasn't fear!"

"No," I said. "He's not afraid of you." I wasn't trying to defend Joe. It was simply the truth. He wasn't afraid of Ranger.

"He should be!" Ranger said ominously, and took another step closer.

Ranger didn't issue idle threats, and I rubbed my arms against the chill that ran through me.

"Do you remember what I said that night I took you home without your underwear?"

I nodded. Of course I remembered. _"Just so you know, for future reference, I wouldn't understand. If you were living with me, and you came home without underwear, I'd go looking for the guy who had it. And it wouldn't be pretty when I found him."_

His eyes bored into me. "I'm not Morelli, Stephanie. I _will_ fight for what's mine. _You _are off limits! Period!"

I could practically smell the testosterone in the air. "Oh, get a grip!" I snarked. "I can take care of myself. I don't need Joe or you or anybody else t…"

"Stephanie!" Ranger held up a finger in front of my face. "Morelli will keep his hands off you! Or else!"

I slapped his hand away. "Or else what?" I demanded. Ranger wasn't the only one who was angry.

"Or else I'll make sure he never puts his hands on you again!"

"So … what? You're gonna _kill him_?" I said sarcastically.

"If that's what it takes!" He looked me square in the eyes, and I realized he was dead serious. He turned and headed into the living room.

Rage exploded in me, and I absolutely lost it! I flew after him, like a woman possessed. "Don't you dare try to pull that macho man bullshit on me, you pompous ass!" I yelled, and shoved him in the back as hard as I could. "You don't own me!"

With a growl, Ranger spun around and grabbed me by the front of my t-shirt, hauling me right up into his face. "Like it or not," he warned, "on the street, here at RangeMan, to Morelli, You. Are. My. Woman!"

I let loose a shriek of outrage. "Your woman, my ass!" and I hauled off and slapped him right across the face. I don't know who was more surprised, him or me. I realized that the pain pills were working. His reflexes were slow; otherwise, I would never have been able to connect.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I gave you my word I wouldn't force you to do anything you didn't want to do." I swear that ice dripped from his words. "Maybe I should rethink that promise. Teach you who you really belong to!"

I let out a scream of outrage. "You wouldn't dare!" I raged and reared back to take another swing at him. This time he saw it coming, and he ducked. Dammit!

One hand still fisted in my shirt, Ranger wrapped the other around the back of my neck and pulled me up against him. His mouth came down on mine in a ferocious kiss. If I hadn't been so terrified that he'd really go after Joe, I would have melted under that kiss. But my fear won out.

"Let go of me, you big jerk!" I yelled, pushing at his chest. And he did, shoving me away from him so hard that I stumbled back and landed with a thump on the leather ottoman in front of the couch.

"Stay there!" Ranger ordered me. Big mistake! I was up in his face in a heartbeat.

"Ranger! This is insane! Morelli's part of a gang!" I was desperate to find something that would make him stop. "It's suicide! You can't take them all on."

"Your concern is touching, but don't worry, this'll only be between Morelli and me. He'll either listen, or he'll just disappear. No one will ever know what happened to him." Ranger unlocked the front door and pulled it open wide.

"Ranger!" I called after him. "_I'll _know …," I said to his back. "I'll know." It came out in a whisper, so soft I wasn't even sure I'd said it out loud, but it carried every bit of fear and desperation that I felt. Ranger froze in the doorway, one hand on the door, the other on the jamb. He bent over slightly, as if he was in pain, and I watched his hands curl into fists.

The elevator doors pinged open and Ella pushed her serving cart into the foyer. Her smile faded the instant she saw Ranger's face. She looked past him, her shocked eyes locking on me. Ranger didn't even seem to realize she was there.

"God _damn_ it, Stephanie!" Ranger snarled and slammed the apartment door so hard the whole building shook. He turned to face me, and I instinctively took a step back, fear of a different kind catching my breath in my chest. "Why are you so worried about him? Why is he still so important to you?"

I'd been caught in the eye of the tiger before, stalked by the sensual predator. Ranger could make me tremble with anticipation, make me helpless with lust, make me willing to give myself over to him … body and soul.

But _this_, this was different. I'd never been afraid of Ranger, never thought he could hurt me… until now. This was a side of the man I'd never seen before, never even suspected existed. Fury shimmered off of him, and like Jekyll and Hyde, I could actually see the man with legendary control slipping away, replaced by a stranger.

For the first time, I could read him as easily as he read me. I saw everything he was feeling flash across his face, and I forgot how to breathe. The cool, calm, collected, rational control freak that I knew and loved had been replaced by a man battling his own emotional demons. It made him human, and vulnerable, and more than a little terrifying.

He was all raw emotion - fear, frustration, hurt, lust, fury. Everything he'd always kept bottled up was suddenly out in the open. His fists were clenched so tightly, his knuckles were white. His eyes glittered black, cold and reptilian. Lips parted, teeth gritted, nostrils flared … his glare rooted me to the spot.

I pulled my phone out of my skirt pocket, fumbling to open it and call Tank. "Calling for help?" he sneered. "I don't think so!" Ranger lunged at me and snatched the cell out of my hand, turned and fired it against the door with such force, it exploded into a million pieces. "We need to settle this, once and for all!"

As if on cue, the house phone rang. Ella had probably alerted Tank. Too bad there was no way I could get to the phone, so it just rang, and rang, and rang.

He looked at me through narrowed eyes. "Frightened, Stephanie?"

I held out my hand, as if to ward him off, and backed away, but not fast enough. He was on me in a heartbeat, and I shrieked when his fingers bit into the tops of my arms, lifting me up on my tip toes. His momentum propelled me back, and we slammed into the wall, the breath knocked out of me.

He pinned me with his body, his hand gripping my jaw, forcing me to look at him.

"After everything he's done to you," Ranger's lip curled in disgust, "you still have feelings for him!" It wasn't a question … it was an accusation.

I was so surprised that I could only shake my head. How could he have gotten it so wrong?

"Admit it!" he raged. "For once … tell the truth!" Ranger let me go and slammed his hands onto the wall on either side of my head. I tried to cringe away.

"I don't …" But Ranger was beyond hearing what I was saying.

"Are you going back to him? Is that it?" His voice was ragged … wounded. "Have you been serving your forty-six day sentence, just waiting to run back to Morelli?" The words exploded out of him.

"Ranger! Please stop!" I begged, but it fell on deaf ears. So did the ring of his cell phone, on the desk in his office.

"Tell me!" he thundered. "Are you still in love with him?"

"No!" I shouted back at him. "No … I don't give a damn about Morelli!" I spat out, as angry as he was.

"Then why are you trying to protect him?" he roared, oblivious to the voices outside the front door.

"I'm _not_!" I said as forcefully as I could. "I'm not trying to protect _him _…" I took his face in my hands. "I'm trying to protect _you_!"

Everything about Ranger stilled, and he stared into my eyes for a full minute. "Why?" It was almost a challenge.

I was so relieved that he was finally hearing me, I could have cried. I stroked his cheek with the tips of my fingers, trying to sooth him. "I love you …" I said softly. "And I won't risk losing you over Morelli or anything else."

"Then why …" he didn't finish the sentence.

"If you get to protect me, then I get to protect you, even if it's from yourself. Two way street, mister." I slipped my arms around him and just held on.

His warmth was oozing into me, his cheek was resting against the side of my head, his hands were flat against the wall, framing my shoulders. Without thinking, I snuggled into him and brushed my lips across his neck in a light kiss.

"Not fair," he said, sagging as the fight went out of him.

I shifted under him and felt him stir against me.

"I've got the weight and the muscle," he said. "But I think you've got the power."

"Do I have the power to persuade you to stay away from Morelli?" I brushed butterfly kisses over his brow, and his eyes, and his cheeks, and his mouth.

"You have the power to make me to do just about anything you want," he whispered, and he kissed me back, the storm finally over.

"_Now_ who's giving information to the enemy?" I was so giddy with relief that I was weak in the knees.

"What am I going to do with you, Babe?" he murmured, pressing his lips to my temple.

"Just love me," I whispered.

"You have no idea …" he said, and gave me a long, slow, bone melting kiss. His hands slipped around and cupped my butt, bringing me tight against him, the evidence of my 'power' throbbing against my belly.

I happily got lost in that kiss. I'd had enough of Angry Ranger. But Randy Ranger? _Him _I could handle. Sexual attraction had replaced the anger that had sizzled between us, and to be honest, I was as turned on as he was.

Ranger and I stood leaning against the wall, and we held each other, just kissing and touching. His fingers traced my features, then slid down my neck. His hands brushed over my breasts, fingers taunting my nipples while his mouth worked magic on my neck. Slipping his hands under the hem of my t-shirt, he stripped it off me.

"Hey!" I said a little breathlessly, "I thought we were gonna have that talk first." I unclipped the .45 from his waist and deposited it on the sideboard, then fisted my hands in his hair and kissed him for all I was worth.

"Oh, sure," he muttered and pulled his mouth away from mine just far enough for us to look at each other without our eyes crossing.

"You love me, right?" He slid a finger under my bra strap and eased it down my arm.

"Uh-huh," I nodded, too busy shoving his leather jacket off him to speak.

"And I love you." He found that sweet spot right below my ear.

"Oh, that's good," I said, not sure if I meant what he was saying or what he was doing.

"So, do you want to give this a try?" He gave a low, sexy chuckle. "Not _this_," he rubbed his massive erection against me. "I mean us. Do you wanna give _us _a try?"

"Oh yeah," I nodded, exploring his fabulous chest as I worked his sweater up over his head. "We definitely owe it to ourselves to explore the possibilities," I said- and unsnapped his jeans.

"What are your demands?" He unzipped my skirt and slowly pushed it down over my hips, leaving me in only my lacy underwear: bra, thong, garter belt, and stockings.

"Um, honesty, and, uh … communication, … respect …" I unzipped his jeans. And sex … lots and lots of sex, I thought when I discovered that he had gone commando! "How about you?"

"The same, and fidelity," he said, his breathing ragged. "I won't share you like Morelli did." He breathed out a groan as I took him in my hands, stroking him. His hand drifted down over my belly and cupped me, his busy fingers teasing me through the lace of my thong.

"Okay!" I was panting. "Deal!"

"Deal!" Ranger opened the clasp on the back of my bra and tore it off me, bending to take a nipple in his mouth before tossing my bra over his shoulder.

Naturally, that was the precise moment that the front door burst open, and Tank, Lester, and Bobby came tumbling into the foyer. My bra hit Lester right in the face, a strap hooking itself on his ear, where it dangled. I shrieked, Ranger pressed me into the wall, covering me with his body, and everybody froze.

The Merry Men had come prepared to do battle. Bobby held a syringe, Lester had cuffs, and Tank had a stun gun. They looked like a male version of the Charlie's Angels movie poster. Except for the bra, of course.

They stared at us, open-mouthed. "Fu-u-u-ck!" the three of them said in unison.

"Trying to!" I snarked, peering over Ranger's shoulder.

"O-kaay!" Tank said, looking every place but at me. "False alarm! Everything's all right here. You two carry on, and we'll just be leaving." He did an "about face" and marched out of the apartment.

"Sweater!" Ranger ordered. Bobby snatched it off the floor and handed it to him, making sure to keep his eyes averted while Ranger slipped it over my head.

"Sorry, Boss, Steph," Bobby said sheepishly and hurried to catch up with Tank.

And then there was Lester. He leaned against the opposite wall, took my bra off his ear, and twirled it around his finger. "I just knew you were a screamer, Bombshell!" He leered at me and waggled his eyebrows.

"Santos!" Ranger roared, without turning to look at him.

"I know! I know!" Lester said to Ranger's back. "Mats at 6am." He rolled his eyes like a bored teenager.

I stuck out my arm around Ranger and wiggled my fingers for my bra. Lester just grinned and shook his head, stuffing the bra into his pocket. "Souvenir!" he mouthed and took off out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.

My head plunked down on Ranger's shoulder. "I have this horrible feeling that Lester's gonna be blogging again. I can see it now, "The Boss, The Bombshell, and Sexus Interruptus"!" I whined.

"Not if he wants to live, he won't," Ranger said, tightening his arms around me and kissing me long and hard.

"I owe you an apology, don't I?" he raised his head to look at me.

"You mean for the case of emotional whiplash?"

He brushed my hair off my face, tucking it behind my ears so he could examine the marks he'd left on my jaw. "This is why I don't drink much, or do drugs … even prescribed ones."

"So … this is you high on pain pills? I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"No," he said. His eyes were sleepy and sexy, and I had no doubt at all what was on his mind. "This is me high on Stephanie Plum." His hands worked their way around to my butt and he pulled me hard against him.

"Come on," he said, tugging me toward the bedroom. "We have unfinished business."

We wound up crossways on the bed, talking and laughing, sharing long, languid kisses and delicious caresses. We stripped and explored each other, filling the bedroom with sighs and moans as we set each other on fire.

He rolled onto his back, taking me with him so that I was on top. Pushing against his chest, I sat up, straddling him. His hands instantly cupped my breasts, stroking and kneading them. He rose up and took a nipple into his hot mouth, sucking hard. Every muscle below my waist clenched in time with his mouth.

Eyes closed, focused only on the sensations rocketing through my body, I raised my arms to lift my hair off the back of my neck. Rolling my hips in circles, I ground myself over his rock hard erection. Ranger fell back onto the bed, his hands on my hips, holding me tight against him. Both of us so close to the edge, we were breathing hard and fast.

"Jesus, God! You're gonna make me come," he groaned.

"I though that was the whole idea," I gasped.

"Not like this," he flipped us over so he was on top. He positioned himself over me, teasing me with the tip of his shaft, ready to slide into me. "I need to come inside you," and using his knees, he spread my legs wide.

"Wait!" I groaned. "My pill! I have to take my pill!" I slid out from under him and he collapsed, face down on the bed, letting out a string of curses that would have made a longshoreman proud. I dashed into the bathroom, popped the pill out of the case and into my mouth, slurped some water from the faucet, and headed back for a long overdue orgasm or three.

"Ready or not, here I come!" I called and laughed at my own pun. I practically danced back to that bed.

"You still wanna be on top?" I asked, crawling onto the bed. Personally, as long as I got my Doomsday Orgasm, I didn't care if he was on top, or bottom, or if we were swinging from the chandelier... just as long as I got it! "Ranger?" He had grabbed the edge of the comforter and rolled over, cocooning himself in it, only his bare feet showing. "Ranger!" I put my hand on his shoulder and shook him. I was met with a soft snore.

I wanted to cry. Granted, I was the one who gave him the pain pills … but it was for his own good! I guess what they say is true … no good deed goes unpunished.

Where the hell did I put that Herbert Horsecock?

TBC …

_A/N: Sorry that this is a sh__ort chapter, but my heart just isn't in it this time. My older son has signed a year long contract to be a civilian contractor overseas, and will be leaving on Sunday, Mother's Day, for Afghanistan. Needless to say, my mind isn't on Love, but on him and his wife and kids. _

_Please say a prayer for the safety and security of all of our men and women around the world, and that they all return home safely. Thanks._

_Now, Love questions … It was mentioned to me that Ranger and Stephanie should wait to "consummate" their relationship until Stephanie's forty-six day sentence is up. What do you think? Should they wait? Or should they just Do It! _

_Thanks for reading and reviewing and feeding my inner review slut! _

_Stayce_


	35. Love Machine!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut Alert, Quotes from all 17 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse, Writer's Block, Real Life,You know the drill … Also I'm t****aking literary license here! I've given Quakerbridge Mall a few upscale stores that they don't really have. **_

_**A/N: Thank You to Miranda,Comma Correctionist and Hyphen Houdini, forEditing, and Beta-ing Love, to Kashy, Friend Extraordinaire, and to Lisa, Burggirl. Without your laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, as well as encouragement and letting me rant, I'd be living under a rock someplace. **_

_**And Thank You to Everyone who has read and reviewed Love … Love wouldn't be Love without you.**_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

_**William Butler Yeats**_

_"**I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out."**_

_**Anonymous**_

**Chapter 35: Love Machine!**

Since Ranger, the mattress hog, slept catty-corner across the whole bed and there was no room left for me, I spent the night in his efficiency apartment on four. Not that I was planning on getting a whole lot of sleep, mind you. My brain was racing a million miles an hour, replaying everything that had happened. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, assumed my thinking position on the bed, and started to mull it all over.

Normally, _Ranger never shows much emotion. I saw him walk into a room once, knowing he was going to get shot and maybe die, and he was perfectly composed. Ranger was a master of control. He could lower his heart rate at will and walk past a bakery and never be tempted. On the surface, Ranger would appear to have no emotion. It was anyone's guess what raged below the surface, _but I was willing to bet, that tonight, I had found out exactly what was lurking there!

Emotion-_less _Ranger, could be damned frustrating. But emotion-_al _Ranger was down-right scary! Who knew he had a temper like that? The only place he'd ever displayed any kind of passion was in bed!

Oooooh! I think I just figured out what one of those secrets he had locked away in his safe was! Maybe Ranger had anger management issues in the past? After last night, that wouldn't surprise me at all!

With his blank mask torn off, I'd seen a side of Ranger that I never knew existed, one that he'd never even hinted at before … at least not to me! Kind of like an emotional Wheel of Fortune, he'd spun through jealous and vulnerable and fearful and furious until he stopped on lust. Let's face it folks, lust was the only Ranger emotion that I knew what to do with. All those others just sorta came out of left field and smacked me upside the head.

I mean, come on! Vulnerability and fear? Where the hell had that come from? Had it _ever_ crossed my mind that Ranger would think I could go back to Morelli? Especially now that I'd agreed to give a relationship with _him_ a try. Hell, _no_! But let's face it, if I pulled my head out of denial and looked at my relationship with Morelli from Ranger's point of view, I suppose I should have had that thought tucked away someplace in the back of my brain.

The reality was, that no matter what we fought about, no matter how many arguments we had, or who started them, or how many times we'd stomped away from each other … Joe and I always wound up back together. If I really thought about my on-again/off-again, move in/move out, love him/hate him, revolving door relationship with Joe, I guess it was a logical deduction, on Ranger's part at least, to think that I'd go running back … a-gain. He'd watched that particular history repeat itself … how many times?

After hours of staring at the ceiling, I came to the conclusion that it was a matter of trust. I mean, he knew that I'd never sleep with two guys at the same time. So, if I was sleeping with him, he'd have to know I wasn't having sex with anybody else, like Morelli, right? But even when I was sleeping with Morelli, I'd almost always let Ranger poach. It was only when I moved in with Joe that I drew the line and finally put a stop to it.

Could Ranger be thinking that now it'd be the other way around? That it'd be Morelli in the alley with his hands up under my shirt and his tongue down my throat?

I was giving myself a headache trying to figure out how to fix the whole mess. Maybe I should stop waiting for Ranger to make the first move? Maybe I should just grab him, yank his cargoes down around his ankles and ride him like a circus pony? Ooooh, I smiled around a yawn. I really liked that idea. A lot!

Okay … so, maybe that was a little out of character for me. I yawned again. What we really had to do was talk. Yikes! Where did that idea come from? That was _completely_ out of character! For both of us. But yeah, that was exactly what we needed ... I yawned again … a little chat … one on one … with me on top … I smiled … and yawned.

Next thing I knew, I was laying on my stomach, drooling into my pillow, with a warm, hard body wrapping itself around me. Rip Van Ranger was finally awake. My hair was gently lifted off the back of my neck, replaced by silky soft that lips drifted over my skin. A hand slipped under my pajama top, cupping my breast, a thumb stroking my nipple, shooting delicious little electric shocks through my body. I dipped my head down to give him more room to work.

"Oh, Lester!" I breathed. "I thought you'd never get here!" Ranger froze, and I bit my lip, fighting not to laugh out loud.

"Lester?"

"Oh!" I said in mock surprise. "It's you!" I turned my head and batted my eyelashes innocently. "I thought _you'd_ still be _asleep_!"

"Ouch!" he said and hugged me closer. "I guess I deserved that." He laid a trail of kisses down my neck.

"Mmmmm…." My contented sigh became a moan when his hand teased its way along the waistband of my pajamas, down over my hip and across my belly. I snuggled back against him. "I hope you came down here to pick up where you left off last night!" I sounded more than a little hopeful.

The tip of Ranger's tongue traced circles on that tender spot just below my ear. "I came to get you for breakfast," he whispered and nibbled my ear lobe.

I turned in his arms. "Get me for breakfast, or _have _me for breakfast?" I purred in my best sex kitten voice.

He gave me a wolf grin, pushed me onto my back, and attacked my pajama top. I laughed and let my hands fall onto the bed as Ranger popped open the little satin covered buttons with an expertise that had me wondering just exactly how he kept this particular skill so well honed. But then he kissed me, long and hard, and wiped the thought right out of my head.

Pulling the satin fabric off my shoulders and down my arms, he uncovered a whole new playground to amuse himself in. Ranger's hands and mouth were everywhere at once. The Wizard at work, stroking and kissing until I was breathless and my eyes were rolled back in my head.

"Oh, my God!" I sighed.

"Yes?" Ranger drawled.

I would have laughed, but he finally pulled a nipple into his mouth and sucked hard. I swear I levitated right off the mattress. Every nerve ending I owned was throbbing in time with his mouth. I fisted my hands in his hair, holding him to me, and long, low, guttural moan escaped him. He switched to the other breast, lavishing the kind of attention with that magic mouth of his that had me writhing under him. I was so close to the edge that I could have come on the spot.

He was as breathless as I was. Stretching out on top of me, he fitted himself between my thighs, and kissed his way down my belly.

I pulled my legs up and slipped my toes under the waist of his sweats, then slid my feet down the backs of his thighs, pulling his sweatpants down at the same time.

He was getting closer and closer to the Promised Land and I was rubbing myself against him like a cat in heat. That's when the alarm on his watch beeped and he pushed himself up onto his elbows. _Noooo!_ Not again!

"Sorry," he said, pushing the button to kill the beeping. "We don't have enough time for this now." He dropped a kiss between my breasts. "I have a meeting in a little while." The rat bastard rolled off me and flopped onto his back.

I lay there a minute, my brow crinkled as I tried to clear my lust-fogged brain. "You mean … you came in here and started something you _knew_ you couldn't finish?" I turned my head to glare at him. "You got me all hot and bothered for _nothing_!" Frustration raised my voice at least an octave.

He shrugged. "Not for nothing. _I_ had fun." The rat was smiling.

"You _louse_!" I sat bolt upright and smacked him with a pillow.

He grabbed it and tucked it under his head. "Turn about's fair play, Babe. Look how many times you've left me hanging," he sounded downright self-righteous. "Of course," he wolf-grinned, "if you want to make it up to me with a topless pillow fight …"

"In your dreams, Buster!" I huffed, and snatched the pillow out from under his head and held it against my bare chest like a shield.

I really didn't like this turn of events. _I_ was supposed to be in charge here, not him. I gave him a pissy face and hunted around for my missing pajama top. Ranger just sat up and stretched, then leaned over to kiss my shoulder. Well, that wasn't gonna happen!

I shrugged away from him and tried to roll off the far side of the bed. "You better go have _breakfast_ because it'll be a cold day in hell before you have _me _again!"

I should've known I wouldn't be able to escape. He wrapped his arm around my waist and hauled me back across the bed. We grappled for my pillow and, naturally, he won, tossing it onto the floor. I slapped at him as he slid on top of me again, but he just grabbed my wrists and pinned my hands over my head, then proceeded to kiss me stupid.

"Just so you know," his voice thick and lusty, "when I do "have _you_" again, I'm going to need hours … _days_ even … to satisfy myself." He nipped the side of my neck and somebody whimpered. Me, probably.

I swallowed hard. "Promises, promises!" I sniffed, trying to act cool but failing miserably. "At the rate we're going, this new relationship is gonna be strictly platonic!"

He gave a low, sexy, chuckle. "Don't bet money on that." He let go of my wrists and slid down my body, his hands and mouth busy again. "I have a long list of erotic fantasies I need to fulfill," he murmured as he nuzzled me, plucking at my nipples with his lips.

Oh. My. God! Ranger had erotic fantasies? "You do?" I gulped.

"You have no idea the things I want to do to you!" he whispered, his mouth against my ear. His eyes glittered black, his breathing quickened. "Things you've never done," his voice dropped lower, "places no man has gone before …" His hand slipped under me, and he squeezed my butt cheek.

"Ummmm …" Words failed me. My eyes got huge, my mouth went dry and I forgot how to breathe. He was teasing again, maybe … probably ... I think.

"Maybe we should start now," he said. With a totally evil grin, he flipped me over onto my stomach, then pulled me up onto my knees.

Okay, so chicken-shit Stephanie was in the building. I _really_ wasn't ready for butt stuff! I yelped and crawled away at warp speed. Ranger grabbed my waistband to pull me back, and between the two of us, I almost crawled right out of my pajama bottoms. So not good!

I had a death grip on my pajama waistband, a distinct disadvantage, as the two of us wrestled across the bed. We slid off the mattress together and landed on the floor at the foot of the bed in a tangle of arms and legs and sheets.

We just lay there, me trying to catch my breath, Ranger laughing his ass off. "You know, I usually spar with Tank, but I'm beginning to think that wrestling with you is better exercise. And it's certainly a lot more fun."

"Oh, kiss my ass!" I gasped.

"My pleasure," he quipped and planted a big smackaroo on my butt cheek.

Ranger humor. "Har-de-har-har!" I groused, and extricated myself from him and the sheets.

I spotted my AWOL pajama top hiding under the bed. With an arm crossed over my boobs, I bent over and fished it out from under the bed, buttoning myself into it.

"So, no wrestling. How about yoga?" Ranger suggested, his eyes riveted on my behind.

"Don't think so," I snorted. "We'd never get past 'downward dog'."

He chuckled. "True! You know I love your ass," he grinned and patted my satin covered rump.

"Apparently you didn't love it enough to keep you awake last night!" I gave him a pissy smile.

Ranger winced. "Okay! In my own defense, you were the one who wanted me to take those pain pills." He wrapped me in his big terry robe and pulled me toward the door. "Come on, breakfast is waiting."

He was trying to change the subject! No way was he gonna make his meltdown _my_ fault! "Hey! You needed them!" I poked him in the chest with my finger. "And did _I _know you were gonna fly into a rage and then pass out on me? Uh, _no-o-o_!"

Ranger hit the elevator call button and scrambled the security cameras. Luckily, when the doors pinged open, the car was empty and Ranger hustled me on board, fobbing us up to seven.

"About that," he started, turning serious.

"What _that_?" I sighed. "The yelling, the falling asleep, or the bed hogging?"

The elevator doors slid open, and we exchanged "good mornings" with Ella who was coming out of the penthouse as we walked in.

"Stephanie, I'm being serious here," he said once the door was closed and we went into the dining room.

"So am I!" I lifted the silver domes off our plates and put them on Ella's serving cart.

"Look," I said to him. "Morelli and I yelled at each other all the time. It was our basic method of communication. I can handle yelling." Ranger pulled out a chair for me, and I sat.

"I can't," Ranger said. "I should warn you now that there won't be any yelling matches." He took the Business section of the paper and handed me the Entertainment part.

"Hmm, so _you_ say!" I gave him a pissy smile. "Anyway, The Dick fell asleep on me on a regular basis. Of course that's because he was banging Joyce Barn-yard." I snarled and filled his coffee cup.

"He was a jack ass," Ranger grumbled. "Still is."

I snorted. "You should hear my father on the subject. Dickie thought he was lucky that _I _didn't kill him, but he'd have had heart failure if he had any idea what my _father_ wanted to do to him."

"I like your father," Ranger said.

"Now, about this bed hogging ..." I took the glass of orange-pomegranate juice he handed me.

Ranger just gave me a look. You know, the one he usually reserved for Lester?

"Jeez!" I rolled my eyes. "You have _no _sense of humor!"

"There's nothing funny about this." He broke a warm croissant in half and buttered it.

"Yeah, but …" I started.

Ranger reached across the table and stuffed the croissant into my mouth. "Would you just listen?"

I glared at him, but mumbled, "Okay" around the buttery goodness.

"When I was a kid my temper got me into trouble … with family, school, the cops. The more trouble I got into, the angrier I got, the more I acted out."

"A vicious cycle," I nodded. "Been there, done that. My parents have the grey hair to prove it," I shrugged and held out a plate of fruit so he could help himself to sliced melon, strawberries, and kiwi.

"My little rebel," he said with his "almost" smile.

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you mocking me?"

"Never!" He held a chunk of honeydew to my lips. Yum.

"Anyway, when I was older, I tried to numb myself. Figured it would take the edge off the emotions. I told you I did everything, and I meant it," he watched me closely, looking for my reaction, I guess. "If I could drink it, smoke it, or snort it … I tried it. Didn't help, just caused more trouble. Alcohol, drugs, even legal meds, made it harder to maintain self-control. So, now, I don't indulge."

I was surprised he was so matter-of-fact about it. "Okay."

"It's why I joined the Army. I knew if I was going to amount to anything, I had to develop some discipline and focus."

"Well, obviously it worked."

"It did. But last night was living proof that just because I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve doesn't mean I don't have them or don't feel them." He buttered the other half of the croissant and handed it over to me. "Especially where you're concerned."

"So what are you telling me?" I asked. "That if I want to know how you really feel, I'm gonna have to drug you?"

"No," he shook his head. "You'll always know how I feel. Just without the emotional outbursts."

"I suppose you'll just send me a memo?" I teased. "You're such a hopeless romantic."

He barked out a laugh. "That's the one thing I've never been called."

I forked up a piece of waffle and chewed thoughtfully. "Don't sell yourself short, Mister," I said, waving the fork at him. "You're plenty romantic." I waited a beat. "In your own way, of course."

The skeptic cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Okay, you broke into my apartment to load my gun with bullets. You brought me The Cure when I needed it." I ticked off each point on my fingers. "You gave me cars … and Merry Men. You bled money _and blood_ for me. You've never tried to change me." I pointed at my plate of Belgian waffles. "You let Ella pollute your apartment with salt and trans-fats and sugar for me." I looked at him and smiled. "And you love me. If that's not romantic, I don't know what is!"

He laughed. "A bullets-and-blood kinda girl who can be bought with a plate of waffles … what a woman!" He got up and came around the table, cupped my face in his hands and bent to kiss me into a stupor. "What are your plans for today?"

"Well, since I've failed to seduce you, I'm gonna call your real estate guy to see if he can find me an apartment. The forty-six days'll be up soon, and I don't want to be homeless again."

"You don't have to worry about that. As an employee, you're entitled to rent one of the apartments on four," he said, stopping in the archway. "I'm sure that you and your boss could work out some kind of a mutually satisfying deal." He winked at me.

"Not another deal?" I wailed. He just grinned and went toward the bedroom. "But if you want it to be mutually satisfying," I hollered after him, "you better pencil me into your busy schedule for some serious one-on-one time. And I mean that literally!" I yelled as an afterthought.

I had to admit that Ranger was handling this sexual frustration way better than I was. I added an extra teaspoon of sugar to my coffee, just in case.

I didn't know whether to blame it on Karma, or luck, or the alignment of the planets, but _something_ was conspiring against us. Nothing had been mutually satisfying for Ranger and me since … crap … since the weekend before he'd gone in the wind that time. Now I wasn't just horny, I was depressed, too!

I took my time finishing my breakfast, then moseyed to the bedroom. I could hear Ranger in the dressing room, so I sat, cross-legged, on the bench at the foot of the bed, waiting for the Ranger fashion show.

A minute later Ranger strolled into the room and my eyes glazed over. He was in corporate attire. Black Armani suit, black silk dress shirt, black-on-black striped tie, black gun and shoulder holster. He looked like he had just stepped out of the Soldier of Fortune issue of GQ. The only time the man looked more gorgeous was when he was naked.

"_Holy cow," I said to him. But I was thinking _Holy Cow!

"_I wasn't trying for holy cow," Ranger said. "I was shooting for respectable."_

"_Good luck with that one," I told him._

_Ranger was strong inside and out. He was intelligent. He was brave. He was physically and emotionally agile. He was incredibly sexy. He was deceptively playful. But more than anything else, Ranger reeked of bad boy. It would take a lot more than _an Armani suit and a silk tie _to offset the testosterone and male pheromones that leaked out of him. I doubted Ranger would ever be entirely respectable._

"_Okay," Ranger said. "I admit respectable was a stretch. How about successful?"_

"Oh, yeah," I said. "You'd definitely be very successful with any female you came across." That earned me his full 200-watt smile.

"I've been thinking," he said, standing so close that I had to tip my head back to look up at him. "About that comment you made before. The one about penciling you in on my busy schedule."

"We have a high-dollar FTA to pick up in Delaware tomorrow night," he said. "If you came along, the men could bring the skip back to Trenton, then you and I could go on to DC and spend a couple of days there."

My eyes snapped to his. "Do you have a meeting in Washington?"

"No."

"A security job to check on?"

"Nope."

"A skip to pick up?"

He shook his head.

"Contracts to sign?"

"No."

"Meeting with your handler?"

By now he was smiling at me and shaking his head.

"Then … what?"

"Five star hotel, fancy restaurants, sightseeing, whatever you want."

"You mean like a … _a_ _vacation_?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Three days?"

"Just us?"

He nodded.

"Honest?"

"Honest."

I squealed, "Yes!" and would have climbed him like a tree, but I was afraid I'd wrinkle him. Instead, I gave him a quick smack on the lips and did my "Happy Dance", shaking my booty all around the bedroom. "I need to start packing!" I sang, and practically skipped to the closet. "I have to get to the mall! I need those suede platform pumps and a dress and hose, and oh, I have to call Mr. Alexander, and get my fingers and toes done, and …"

"Steph!" Ranger caught my arm and swung me around to face him. "We're not leaving until tomorrow night."

"I know, I know," I groaned. "I just don't know how I'll ever be ready in time!" His laughter followed me into the closet. "I'll tell Hal to saddle up. He's your bodyguard this week."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He meant babysitters, not bodyguards.

I made my phone calls in order of importance … Mr. Alexander first, and then Lula and Mary Lou to see if they wanted to hit Quakerbridge Mall with me. I called Ray Collier, RangeMan's apartment hunter, and gave him all my information. He gushed over the opportunity to work for a RangeMan employee again, and told me he'd get back to me, ASAP.

Lula and Mary Lou were already waiting at the bonds office by the time I rushed in, and Connie had decided to come with us, too.

"Vinnie's gonna shit a brick when he gets here and finds the office closed," I said as she grabbed her purse out of the bottom desk drawer and pulled on her gloves.

"Do I look like I care?" Sarcasm dripped from Connie's words. "Vinnie, the rat, took Lucille to Atlantic City for their anniversary. He expects _me_ to run the office _and_ be on call 24/7, so he can just kiss my lily white ass in Macy's front window!" she snarled.

"So while the rat's away, you gonna play mouse?" Lula said with an evil grin.

"Hey! I'm running the office … I'm just running it the way _I_ want for a change," she shrugged. "Anyhow, this is more important. It's gonna take all three of us to make sure Stephanie looks like she belongs on Ranger's arm."

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" I said, sounding huffy.

"No offense," Connie held up her hand. "But if you're going to a five star hotel and fancy restaurants, you should look like you belong there. You go dressed like that," she curled a lip at my jeans and boots, "they'll think you're a panhandler and toss you out on your ass."

I looked down at myself. "Oh, come on! I don't look _that_ bad!"

"Not if you were a ten year old boy!" Mary Lou replied. "Chocolate ice cream stains?" she plucked at my sweatshirt sleeve. "And what's this?" She poked a finger at my chest.

"Jelly donut filling," I mumbled.

"Honestly, Steph! I don't know what happened to you!" Mary Lou grabbed me by the shoulders and gave me a little shake. "When you were a buyer, you always looked fantastic! Even when you weren't at work, you always had style, were polished and put together. You took pride in how you looked. I know you hated wearing "the pantyhose and business suit working woman's uniform" every day … I get that! But now, honey, you look like a Dumpster diver."

"For crying out loud," I whined. "I'm a bounty hunter! I chase guys covered in Vaseline, I get set on fire and rolled in garbage. Sometimes I _am_ a Dumpster diver. You really think I'm gonna wear nice clothes?"

"You'e not bounty hunting now," Connie retorted. "You're going shopping with your girlfriends. Frankly, you've taken "Business Casual" way too far."

"Hey! I got it!" Lula snapped her fingers. "I bet you're gonna play Pretty Woman, an' Ranger's gonna take you shoppin' an' pick out new clothes for ya just like Richard Geer and Julia Roberts!"

"What? No! I can buy my own clothes!" I think I had just been insulted. "Ranger doesn't have to pick them out for me!"

"Pffftt! Well, somebody better!" Lula shook her head, making the neon colored beads in her braids clack against each other. "White Girl, you look like shit! How you gonna get a man dressed like _that_?" She opened her arms wide. "You need a outfit like this! Make a man sit up an' take notice."

Lula put one hand on her hip and the other behind her head, then struck a pose, showing off her painted on, poison green, spandex micro-mini skirt, black fish-nets, thigh-high zebra print boots, and hot pink faux curly lamb jacket. If I dressed like that, I'd get noticed all right! And picked up by the cops for crimes against fashion.

"You living with that fine lookin' man, an' you run around lookin' like a bag lady." Lula pointed at my clothes. "No wonder he ain't jumped your bones yet."

"Hey, how do you know he hasn't … we haven't … uh …"

"Oh, please!" Connie flapped a hand at me. "We figured that if Morelli sex could put a stupid grin on your face, if you and Ranger were doing the horizontal hula, you'd be laughing your ass off! So, as your friends, it's our mission to get you laid!" Connie and Lula and Mary Lou all high-fived each other.

"Come on," Mary Lou looped her arm through mine, then turned to Lula and Connie. "Ladies, we've got our work cut out for us."

We marched out of the office and all waved at Hal and Sybo, who were double parked next to me. We climbed into my SUV, and took off for the mall, the big black SUV following right behind us.

"You do realize that no matter how you dress me up, every woman will still be staring at Ranger, wondering what he's doing with me!"

"The women will," Mary Lou said. "But you want Ranger, and every other man, to look at you, and think what a lucky stiff Ranger is."

Well, okay. Put like _that_, she did have a point. If Ranger looked like he belonged in a fashion magazine, I guess I shouldn't look like a Salvation Army Thrift Store reject.

My "personal shoppers" hit the mall with the same military precision that those Navy Seals used to get Osama. Splitting up to scout the stores, they blew through Macy's, scoped out Lord & Taylor, Ann Taylor, Coach, VC, Michael Kors, and every other high-end store in the place, selecting everything they thought I should try on. Meanwhile, Sybo, Hal and I followed our noses to Cinn-a-Bun.

In store after store, armloads of clothes were hauled into dressing rooms by ecstatic, commission driven sales ladies, who decked me out in one get-up after another, then shoved me out to be critiqued by my fashion coordinators. Even Sybo gave me a thumbs up or thumbs down on each outfit.

Caught up in the shopping frenzy, I admit I went a little nuts. I did a great imitation of General Custer … galloping through the mall, waving my credit card like a sword, and yelling "Charge!"

Three exhausting hours later, I had a whole new wardrobe. I also had a maxed out Visa, and I was looking at a lifetime of minimum amount credit card payments. I was gonna be fifty before I paid this stuff off, but in the meantime, I was gonna look damn fine!

I collapsed in the Food Court, surrounded by all my loot … boxes and bags of shoes, boots, belts, trousers, purses, sweaters, skirts, dresses, and a positively _obscene _amount of sexy lingerie, most of which I couldn't even remember trying on.

Poor Hal. Every time I even got near a lingerie department, he turned bright red and tried to become invisible, hiding behind columns or potted palms. I think if I had so much as held out a pink VC bag to him, he would have passed out cold. I had to wonder what he'd done to deserve Bombshell Duty.

Sybo, on the other hand, must have been a fashionista in another life. He even pointed out a black lace bustier for me. Well, actually, he looked at it and clutched at his chest, like he was having a heart attack. I thought that was a pretty good male reaction, so I bought it… and the matching panties, and garter belt, and the black thigh-highs with the seam up the back..

The girls had lugged enough mall food back to the table to feed a small third-world nation, and since I was wearing one of my new outfits, Mary Lou tucked a napkin under my chin and cautioned me not to spill. She's such a mom! I was too tired to even roll my eyes.

The shopping frenzy turned into a feeding frenzy, and we were shoveling food into our faces at lightening speed when my phone rang. It was Ray Collier, the apartment hunter, calling to tell me that he'd lined up a bunch of places for me to see that afternoon. Apparently my friends decided that if I couldn't pick out clothes by myself, I certainly wasn't capable of choosing an apartment, so they all volunteered to come along, too.

A Chick-fil-A meal, a corn dog, a slice of pepperoni pizza, two egg rolls, an Italian ice, and four Tums later, we met Ray at the bonds office. I swear the man started his spiel even before the car doors closed. He'd found some nice, bright, clean apartments, in nice, clean, desirable neighborhoods. He made them all sound like heaven.

Sadly, that sales pitch sounded familiar. I'd heard it from every salesman at Crazy Iggy's Used Car Emporium, the only car lot in Trenton that would extend me credit. I had to wonder if Ray ever worked for Iggy.

The first apartment he took us to was just off Rt. 1. Maple Hills was a series of ugly yellow brick bunkers entirely surrounded by even uglier parking lots, with neither a maple tree nor a hill in sight.

While we all hopped out of his Suburban and started toward one of the buildings, Lula scanned the parking lot. "Hold it!" she ordered. "You can skip this place!" We all stopped and turned to look at her.

"How come?" I asked as she waved our little group back to the SUV.

"It's the middle of the afternoon," she said. "And look at all the cars in this here parkin' lot. Don't look like nobody works a regular job, just a whole lotta _irregular_ ones."

Mary Lou, Connie, and I looked around and then looked at Lula, all of us clueless. She just rolled her eyes. "You can tell a lot about your neighbors by lookin' at their cars. Those big old boats at your old place yelled "seniors", right?"

We all nodded like a bunch of bobble-heads.

Lula pointed out a row of vehicles parked next to the building. "These here cars say dealer, dealer, dealer, pimp, customer, dealer! How long you think a skinny-ass bounty hunter'd last here?"

Hal and Sybo were nodding. Without another word, we all did an "about face" and hustled back to Ray's vehicle, with Ray in hot pursuit sputtering, "But … but … but…" We checked out two more apartment complex parking lots without ever getting out of Ray's SUV.

"Well," Ray said. "Maybe apartment complex living isn't for you. I have a couple of other options to show you," he said optimistically.

Ray turned off Rt. 1 and into another driveway. "There's a place back here you might be interested in," he was saying as he pulled past a sign that announced The Shady Grove Trailer Park.

"Umm, really Ray," I gave him a weak smile. "I don't see myself living in a trailer park." My mother would have a plotz.

"Humor me, Ms. Plum. We're already here. Just take a look at this _one_ place. It really might change your mind."

He pulled to a stop in front of a double-wide with a big attached awning. "See," he was wearing that oily salesman smile again. "Covered parking!"

A sign posted in the window announced that it was for sale or rent by owner. It looked clean enough, and someone had stuck plastic flowers in pots by the front steps in an attempt to cheer the place up. Against my better judgment, we all got out and trooped inside.

Lula looked around. "This here place feels familiar. I ain't been in a trailer since that time we went to Diggery's shit hole," she whispered and turned to the girls. "His twenty-foot snake tried to eat me for lunch."

"Oh, I remember that," Connie nodded. "Diggery's pet python!" She and Mary Lou shuddered.

"There's a note here," Ray said, examining his paperwork. "The family pet went missing and they want everyone to keep an eye out for it. It doesn't say what kind of pet it is, though."

We all exchanged looks. "Well, relax," I said. This can't be Diggery's place. It's way too clean!"

"I still smell s-s-s-snake!" Lula hissed, her eyes darting around. Connie pulled open a closet door and a mop fell out at Lula.

"_Snake!" Lula screamed. "Snake, snake, snake!" And she ran out of the trailer_ with Connie and Mary Lou hot on her heels.

"It was a mop!" I yelled after them. I turned to look for Ray and found him flat on the floor, with three sets of footprints across his back.

"Let me guess," Ray said without lifting his head. "This place is out, too?"

"Oh, yeah." I said, looking over my shoulder for the python.

Ray clambered to his feet, his glasses crooked, his Donald Trump comb-over standing on end, and plastered a smile on his face. "Well, plenty more places to see!" And he ushered me out of the trailer and back to his Suburban.

We nixed Punky Balog's place. I swear I could still see his greasy old Vaseline ass print on the front window. I passed on the apartment above Pleasure Treasures, and not just because Caroline Scarzolli took one look at me and grabbed her shotgun.

"I have a very nice duplex to show you. It has its own entrance, and there's only one common wall, so there's a real sense of blah, blah, blah." I tuned Ray out, thinking instead about how Ranger would react to the black satin cami and thong I'd bought.

I was so lost in thought, I never noticed when Ray passed Gino's Tomato Pie and parked on Moffatt Street. "The neighbor has the key, so I called ahead. This is a perfect opportunity to meet …" Ray never got to finish his sentence because the front door flew open with a bang. Mary Alice and Angie tumbled down the steps, screaming at the top of their lungs. Valerie, carrying the baby on her hip and holding Lisa's hand, followed behind them.

Mary Alice and Angie were wrestling over the key.

"I wanna give them the key!"

"Give that back! It's my turn!"

"No it isn't! It's my turn!"

"My turn!"

"Mine!"

I powered down the window, and the girls saw me.

"It's Aunt Stephanie! Aunt Stephanie!" they shrieked.

"Are you going to live next door to us?"

"Where's Rex?"

"Are you gonna bring Bob?"

"Can I sleep over?"

"I wanna live with you!"

"No, me! I'm the oldest!"

"No! You're just the meanest!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Take that back!"

"Don't have to!"

Angie yelled, Mary Alice whinnied, Lisa wailed, and the baby started to howl. It was bedlam.

"This is why I'm not having any more kids!" I heard Mary Lou mutter.

"This is why I'm not having _any _kids!" Connie retorted. "At least not until they come up with a new improved model that has an 'off' switch!"

"I want a dozen kids," Lula said. We all looked at her like she was demented.

"Oh, Steph!" Val had to yell to be heard over the screeching, brawling kids. "This will be so wonderful! We can hang out and cook and do laundry together. The girls can visit you anytime they want. You can take them to school and help them with their homework and have sleep-overs and you'd see Mom practically every day!" I put a finger to my twitching eye. "She'll help you make curtains for the whole place, and we could even set up one of the bedrooms as a nursery so the baby can stay with you …" The sound of my blood rushing in my ears drowned out the rest of whatever she was saying.

"Let me just take the kids inside and get them settled. I'll be right back! I can't believe that you're going to live right next-door! Albert is going to be so thrilled!" Valerie herded her screaming brood back up the steps and into the house. We could still hear them after the front door closed.

I turned to Ray. "Floor it, Ray! Get us the hell outta here!"

Ray put pedal to the metal, and the Suburban screeched away from the curb, laying rubber halfway down the street.

"Wow!" Ray said, wide-eyed and clearly shell-shocked. "The owner told me he was having trouble keeping tenants in the other half of the house. Now I know why!" He took a deep breath and plastered on his salesman smile. "But don't worry, little lady," he reached over and patted my hand. "I have lots of other places to show you!" Swell!

Our next stop was at a two-story row house on Rockwell Street, a block from the button factory. Back before this became an up-and-coming neighborhood populated by "Yuppies", Morris Munson had lived here. He'd run down his ex-wife, beaten her with a tire iron, and raped her. He'd soaked her body in gasoline and was trying to get his Bic to work when a blue-and-white happened to drive by.

Vinnie, the weasel, had bonded him out and Munson promptly went FTA. When I'd attempted to apprehend him, the SOB had set my shirt on fire. He'd also paid me a middle-of-the-night visit, breaking into my apartment and threatening to cut off my nipple and set me on fire. Lula and I finally hauled him in, but I reminded him of his wife, so there was no love lost between us.

"The new owners bought most of the houses on this street and are refurbishing them one at a time," Ray said. "This one's almost done. All they have to finish is the kitchen."

I had to admit it looked really nice. Even the Merry Men nodded, and gave it the RangeMan seal of approval. New yellow siding, white trim, flower boxes, little railing on the stoop, it looked _nothing _like it had before. Every house on the street looked cute and cozy.

The inside was freshly painted, and the hardwood floors had been refinished. New crown molding and window trim had been installed, and the house had a lot of charm. Ray just might have finally found a contender. Lula and I went upstairs to check out the bedrooms and when I saw the new bathroom, I was ready to sign on the dotted line.

"Oh My God!" I breathed to Lula. The bathroom was still small, but it had a spa tub and a rain type shower head, tiled floors, walls painted a pale ocean blue, a pedestal sink, and a little linen closet. And it could be mine, all mine. "Hey Ray!" I called as we came down the stairs. "Can I afford this place?"

"Oh, yes, Ms. Plum! Based on the salary information I got from you and RangeMan, you certainly qualify." He wrote the rent amount on a business card and handed it to me. "You could be in here by the first of next month. They're finishing the kitchen … cherry cabinets, granite countertops, stainless appliances," he wheedled. "It'll look just like a brand new house!"

Rex would _love _living in a kitchen like that! And I could tell you, from experience, that my peanut butter and olive sandwiches tasted lots better in Ranger's spiffy kitchen than they ever did in my old crappy one. I could live here!

I picked up the rental agreement that Ray had whipped out and reached for the pen he held out to me. I was poised to sign my name when Mary Lou came into the room.

"Hey! Look what I found!" She was holding up a tire iron in one hand and a five gallon gasoline can in the other. "There's a Walmart bag in the kitchen with about a hundred Bic lighters in it. What do you suppose that's all about?"

Connie, Lula and I gaped at her and then at each other, our jaws on the floor.

Connie jumped a little and pulled out her cell phone and read the text message. "M-Munson escaped from prison yesterday," she croaked out, turning to look at me. "He told his cellmate he was homesick!" White-faced, Connie swallowed hard and read on. "He said that there was a certain blue-eyed, curly-haired brunette he couldn't wait to see again."

The next thing I knew, I was in Ray's Suburban and I swear that Ray was bashing his head against the door jamb as he locked up the house.

I really felt bad for him, he was trying so hard to find me a place that I felt guilty when I passed on the apartments he had lined up in the Burg. And the one above Mario's Sub Shop. So when Ray begged me to go see just one more place, I caved.

This time we wound up in North Trenton. Ray pulled up in front of a red brick, single-family house that I immediately recognized. The trim had been repaired and repainted, but it was still mustard color. The small sign on the door on the enclosed front porch advertising Coglin's taxidermy business was gone, and so was Carl Coglin. It was my turn to want to bash my head against something.

Ray hopped out of the SUV and trotted up the walk to the front door. I heaved a big sigh as I watched him fiddle with the lock box. "You know, this isn't even funny anymore," I said to the girls. "I can't believe that almost every place he's shown me used to belong to a skip that I helped put back in the system." I turned to look at them. "If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a set up!"

Mary Lou made a choking sound and started to cough.

Connie let out a squeak.

Lula looked bug-eyed and said, "Huh?"

"Are you guys okay?" I looked from one of them to the other.

"Sure!"

"Yup!"

Oh, yeah."

I narrowed my eyes at them. I had the weird feeling that something was going on. I just didn't know what.

"Hey look! Ray's got the door open." Lula practically jumped out of the SUV. Connie and Mary Lou hauled ass up the sidewalk to the front door.

I shook my head to clear it. "They're all nuts," I mumbled to myself.

I dragged myself out of the SUV and trundled into the house. Coglin may have been gone, but his stuffed menagerie still filled the shelves in the enclosed porch.

"What the heck?" Ray said to Lula, looking around at the stuffed pigeons and cats and squirrels.

"He called this here stuff "urban" taxidermy, said he restored pets and found objects."

"Found objects?" Ray asked.

"Road kill," Lula said.

"Ahhh," Ray nodded, his lip curled.

I followed Mary Lou into the house which looked just like it had when Coglin lived here. I was standing in the kitchen, staring at the stain on the wooden table, right where that fresh opossum had been defrosting, when I heard a scream.

"No!" Lula shrieked. "Don't touch that switch!"

A second later … BANG! Something exploded. I was afraid I knew what.

Mary Lou and I raced out of the kitchen to find Lula slumped against a wall in the living room, clutching her heart. "I made it out alive!" she gasped.

Ray wasn't so lucky. He was out on the porch, still holding the remnants of an exploding woodchuck. His glasses were so covered in bits of rodent hair and skin and melted stuffing that we couldn't see his eyes. He said, "I…" and he twitched. "I…" twitch. "I…" twitch. I was pretty sure he was in shock.

Hal and Sybo helped Ray into his SUV, settling him into the passenger seat, while Mary Lou took wet wipes out of her purse and tried to clean the gunk off his glasses. I locked up the house, got behind the wheel, and we motored off, stopping at a liquor store to get Ray a pint of Scotch which he drank straight out of the bottle.

At the bonds office, Ray practically shoved me out onto the street and climbed over the console to get into the driver's seat, muttering, "He didn't pay me enough!" He peeled off, down Hamilton Avenue, with Lula and Mary Lou still scrambling out of the vehicle.

"Humph!" Lula said as we watched Ray skid around a corner on two wheels. "That's gratitude for ya! He didn't even say thank you or nothin'! I _tried_ to warn about that woodchuck!"

I nodded, thinking that Ray was probably wishing somebody had warned him before he even answered my phone call.

Back at RangeMan, the guys helped me lug all my packages up to seven. I dropped my coat, kicked off my boots and fell onto the bed. I was out cold before my head hit the pillow. Ranger woke me for dinner, and I told him all about my apartment hunting adventures while we ate.

He listened sympathetically, but really, he looked a whole lot like he was thinking about smiling. "Don't worry. You'll find something you like soon," he said and answered his buzzing phone.

"We've got an apprehension tonight," he said, helping me load the dishwasher. "I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll stay downstairs so I don't cramp your packing. We're leaving at two sharp tomorrow." He grinned, "I saw all your shopping bags. Is there anything left in the mall?"

"Not in my size," I sighed. "I think I wore the numbers off my Visa," I grimaced.

He looked me up and down, took my hand, and twirled me around. I'd kicked off the new booties, but I was still wearing a new sweater and slacks. "It was worth it." He pulled me into his arms and pressed a kiss below my ear.

"Don't start!" I gave him a weak shove.

"Let me pay for your shopping spree."

"What? Why?"

"I want to buy you something."

"You want to buy me something, fine. Go to a store, pick it out, and pay for it. But you aren't paying for these clothes! You already feed me, house me, and employ me, to say nothing of the uniforms, transportation, and insurance you provide. You start buying my clothes, and I'll officially make the kept woman list!"

"What's wrong with being a kept woman?" Ranger gave me a grin.

I gave him my own version of a wicked smile. "The only way I want you to _keep _me, is sexually satisfied!" I turned my back and pressed against him, then shimmied down his body and back up again.

"Now who's starting?" He spun me around, bent me back over his arm and kissed me breathless. "Woman, you're going to be the death of me!"

"Oh, I hope not!" I purred. "I have plans for you!"

At two o'clock the next afternoon, I'd been curled, styled, buffed, puffed, waxed, and polished at Mr. Alexander's Spa. I looked like a whole new woman to go with my whole new wardrobe. Ranger and I were seat-belted into the Mercedes, our bags were tucked away in the trunk, and a huge picnic type basket filled with all sorts of delicious goodies, courtesy of Ella, was on the back seat. We were on vacation!

Well, almost. There was still the little matter of a federal skip who needed to be picked up in Delaware. Two big black SUVs filled with Merry Men, and their gear, were already on the road. The take-down would be all set up by the time we got there. Ranger would supervise, and then we'd be on our way to the Ritz Carlton in Washington. Woo-Hoo! I was so excited I was practically bouncing in my seat.

By the time we merged onto the Garden State Parkway at the Belmar exit, it had started to flurry … big, fat, fluffy flakes. Ranger was in his zone, and I was trying to find mine. Between the comfort of the car and the classical music, I found myself dozing, dreaming that we were snowed in, 'forced' to spend our three-day vacation in bed. What a hardship! Lavish hotel, my own private sex slave, room service? Oh, my God! Life didn't get any better than that!

It was really snowing when we passed the Wildwood exit, the clouds so low, it looked like I could reach up and touch them. The winds were picking up, and the temperature was dropping like a rock. The Mercedes' satellite phone rang.

"Speak." Ranger's phone manners will never improve.

"We're at the ferry," Tank's voice filled the car. "Guy here tells me this is the last trip they're making until the storm passes. The latest weather report says those flurries are turning into a full blown blizzard and it's right on your back bumper. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better."

"Damn!" Ranger glanced over at me and squeezed my hand.

"It's okay," I told him. It really wasn't, but there was nothing anybody could do about it.

"Go ahead, and take the ferry. Find someplace in Delaware to hole up until we can get there."

"Will do," Tank said. "Tell Steph we're all sorry about the vacation. We know how excited she was."

"Thanks, guys!" I said back.

Ranger called RangeMan.

"Control Room," Hal answered.

"Hal, we're going to need accommodations someplace close, south of this location. If the storm's behind us, I don't want to chance turning back and trying to make it to Atlantic City." Ranger told him.

"Yes, Sir. Got you on GPS." We could hear him tapping on his keyboard. "Got a couple of places ahead of you." We heard more tapping. "I'm going to have to call them. I'll get right back to you."

Wind was blowing snow across the road and buffeting the car. They weren't lying about the weather; the storm was catching up with us. It was snowing so hard now that the windshield wipers couldn't clear the snow fast enough.

Hal called back and I took it so that Ranger could concentrate on keeping the car on the road. "I found you the perfect place! It's four miles ahead of you in Cape May." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Trust me, Steph. You're going to love it!"

"We're gonna love anyplace that gets us inside, out of this weather," I told him.

"I'll bet. I got you all checked in, and they're expecting you." I entered the address he gave me into the GPS. "You guys be careful and enjoy your stay at the beach."

"Har-har, Hal. Too bad I forgot to pack my bikini!"

We practically crawled into Cape May. The snow had slowed us down so much that it was dark. Between that and the wind and snow, the whole trip had been a little scary. The only other vehicles out on the road were snow plows that were whizzing along at breakneck speed. Other than an occasional street light or lit up house, all we could see was white. Good thing the GPS knew where we were, 'cause we sure as hell didn't.

Two fancy gas lamps marked the final turn, into a wide driveway, and Ranger pulled up under an elaborate porte-cochere on the side of a big Victorian mansion. We looked at each other and both heaved a huge sigh of relief. Okay, so Ranger didn't sigh … but he looked like he wanted to.

As Ranger turned off the car, a tall, slim man hurried down the steps to open the car door. "Mr. Manoso, Ms. Plum, we've been expecting you. Welcome to the Sea Witch. I'll take care of your luggage, you take care of your lady," he said to Ranger. "My wife is inside, waiting for you."

Introductions were made, and our hosts, Mike and Laura, took our coats then hustled us into the living room to warm ourselves by the fire. "Can I get you coffee, tea or hot chocolate?" our hostess asked.

"Or would you prefer something stronger?" Mike smiled.

We went for the stronger. Two snifters of brandy later, I was all warmed up, nicely relaxed, and seated at the dining room table.

"We really weren't prepared for dinner guests tonight," Laura said. "I'm afraid it's nothing fancy."

Let me tell you, that woman could cook. If lobster bisque and filet mignon with roasted mushrooms and white chocolate bread pudding were her idea of 'nothing fancy', I'd love to see what she came up with if she was going all out.

We worked off our amazing dinner when Mike took us upstairs to the third floor to show us to our room. "We've given you the rooms at the top of the house," he told us as we climbed up the sweeping stairway. "It has a fireplace for heat, in case we have to rough it for a few days," he said. "We do have an elevator, but in these high winds, we're likely to lose electricity, and that's no place to get stuck." As if on cue, the lights flickered. "There are flashlights and lanterns in the closet," he added, "and firewood stacked outside your door."

"Here we are," he said. "The Honeymoon Suite," he threw open the double doors. "Just as your office requested."

Ranger and I stood side-by-side in the hall, and I felt him stiffen. Without turning my head, I slid my eyes to him. A muscle twitched in his jaw. "Hal is a dead man!" he muttered under his breath, then put a hand to the small of my back and escorted me into the sitting room.

I stepped over the threshold … and into another century. I had walked into a Victorian romance novel. The room was magnificent, with curved walls and floor to ceiling windows framed by heavy satin draperies with lace sheers. The furnishings were from another age … floral carpeting, marble top tables, overstuffed furniture, tiffany lamps, and a big antique armoire, which I suspected hid a TV.

The bathroom held all the modern conveniences, disguised as Victorian antiques. The ball-and-claw footed bathtub with the hand-held French shower was large enough for two people. Even the faucet on the pedestal sink looked like an original. Old-fashioned bottles and jars with bath salts and oils were on a shelf above the tub, along with luxurious towels and big, fluffy robes. It was the perfect combination of old and new.

But as beautiful as it all was, the centerpiece of the suite was in the bedroom. Across from the ornately carved marble fireplace was the most amazing bed I had ever seen. Topped by a silk feather bed and piled high with at least a dozen pillows, the massive headboard was an extravagant mix of swirls and curlicues and ribbons and vines and flowers made of brass, all entwined into a Victorian fantasy.

Above the headboard was a painting of a naked woman, lying in the brass bed. Her dark hair spilled around her, her lips parted, blue eyes half closed. With her hands over her head, her fingers were curled into the ornate brass of the headboard. It was practically obscene and positively seductive.

Ranger stood close behind me. "You look like that when you come," he whispered, so that Mike wouldn't hear.

I think I blushed. "You have a long memory," I whispered back.

"Some things a man never forgets." He pressed a kiss to the back of my neck then stepped away when Mike came back into the room.

"I see you like the bed," Mike said, bringing in a silver wine cooler with a bottle of Champagne. He put it on a table next to a pair of crystal flutes.

"It's something, all right," I agreed.

"Legend has it that the bed belonged to a notorious French courtesan. That's her portrait," he nodded toward the painting over the bed. "Painted by an admirer, no doubt."

I tore myself away from the bed to walk with Mike to the door in the sitting room. "If you need anything, just let us know," he pointed to the house phone. "We can send it up in the dumb-waiter in the hall. Good night, folks."

I said good night and locked the door behind him, then turned, leaned back against the solid wood and looked at Ranger. He was standing in the bedroom and had taken off his jacket, loosened his tie, opened the top buttons of his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves.

"I'm sorry we didn't make it to Washington," he said. "You would have turned every head in town." He took the Champagne out of the cooler and inspected it. "Cristal," he commented and walked out of my line of vision.

I wore a pretty sophisticated high necked, long sleeved, dark purple dress with a wide black suede belt, perfect for dinner in a fancy Washington restaurant. What I was wearing _under_ the dress was another story entirely. The black corset and garters were trimmed with pink rosettes and ribbons, seamed black stockings, suede pumps, and those crotchless panties that Ranger was so fascinated by, all chosen with seduction in mind.

"Ranger?" I said softly.

"Hmmm," he answered from the other room.

"Ranger." I repeated.

He came to the bedroom doorway, working the cork out of the Champagne bottle, and glanced up at me.

"Guess what I'm wearing," I said and caught my bottom lip between my teeth.

I watched as realization hit him. His eyes swept over me, his gaze so intense it looked like he could see through my dress to what was underneath. His pupils dilated, his nostrils flared, and his lips curled up into a feral smile. Predator and prey, staring each other down. The question was, which of us was which?

Ranger dropped the Champagne bottle down on a table so hard the cork popped out and hit the ceiling. In a heartbeat, he was across the room and on me, all raw sexual power and need, pressing me back against the door.

Gripping me by the shoulders, he lifted me to his mouth, the kiss almost brutal. All of our defenses had been stripped away. All that was left was the primal hunger we had for each other. We tore at each other's clothing … his tie, my belt, his shirt, my dress … fell to the floor. We practically mauled each other in an effort to get to bare skin.

Ranger took a step back to look at me. His eyes slid down my body, from my face, to my throat, to my shoulders, to the swell of my breasts. His hands and mouth followed. His fingers drifted over the corset, the rosettes and ribbons, the garters, the small peeks of bare flesh. He pulled me flush against him, and I felt him harden, thick and pulsing.

I unzipped his pants, and he sprung free. I tried to take him in my hands, but he pinned my wrists over my head with one hand. With the other, he explored the slit in my panties. His fingers slid over me, then into me and my knees went weak.

And then he was on his knees in front of me, spreading my legs, spreading my lips, tasting me. My breath came in sobs, my fingers twisted in his hair, I couldn't think. I could only feel … his hot breath on my skin, his lips against me, his silken tongue circling, stroking, slipping inside me.

He wound me tighter, took me higher, held me on the edge until my whole body trembled. Every iota of my being was focused on that one spot between my legs. I pleaded, I wept, I begged … he ignored me, taking his time, taking his pleasure in the delicious torture he inflicted on me. I would get my revenge … later … much later.

I hung on the edge, somewhere between pleasure and pain, until he took pity on me. He gently took me between his lips … and sucked. I held my breath, every nerve ending on fire, every muscle clenched … tighter, tighter, tighter … until finally, I broke, shattered into a million shiny pieces and spun away, like the snow flakes outside the windows.

In an instant, he was on his feet, his hands under my butt, lifting me, impaling me with one stroke, filling me to bursting. I wrapped my legs around his waist, too weak to really hang on, my head lolling on his shoulder. I'd waited so long for this, he felt so good, so right, I thought I would die of it.

He pressed me back against the door, his fingers biting into my flesh while I pulsed around him. He groaned like a man in pain, then started to move, slowly at first, trying to make it last. Long, slow, smooth strokes that kindled the fires in me all over again. Barely through one orgasm, I felt another one building.

Slowly at first, we relished the friction of skin on skin, the sensation of him filling me again and again, our bodies remembering each other, welcoming each other home. He moved faster then, pummeling into me, both of us racing toward release. Ranger tensed, all his muscles quivering. He pumped into me once, twice, the third time he sank his teeth into my shoulder, and we exploded together.

Still holding on to each other, we slid down to the floor, me still straddling Ranger, and him still hard inside me. Gasping for air, we raised our heads and smiled into each other's eyes. He could see I was boneless, dreamy, spent, sated beyond words. I looked at Ranger. He was still hungry.

"More," he growled, and flipped us so that I was on my back on the luxurious carpet, and he straddled me. His fingers flew over the ribbons that laced the corset, and in seconds it was gone along with the stockings, the garters, and the panties. His hands cupped and kneaded, his mouth licked and nipped and kissed and sucked my bare skin.

A minute ago I would have sworn that I had nothing left to give, yet now he was moving in me again, and I was on fire. My nails dug into him, I clawed at him, urging him on. Blood racing through our veins, our hearts thundering, we lost ourselves in each other.

His breath on my face, his mouth at my ear, he whispered … how much he missed me, how good it felt to be in me again, how he never wanted it to stop. Each thrust came harder, faster, so deep it felt like he was touching the bottom of my heart. He said my name, over and over. "Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie…."

Finally sated, we collapsed in each other's arms, gasping for breath, barely able to move. When we could actually breathe again, we smiled at each other. And then we laughed. It just burst out of us, like the cork from the bottle of Champagne.

We wrapped our arms around each other and just lay there, laughing together, just for the sheer joy of it.

For the life of me, I couldn't tell you why I'd denied myself this man for so long, why I had wasted so much time. As he pulled me up off the floor and tugged me toward the bathroom for a long soak in that fantastic tub, I made myself a promise. I was going to make up for lost time, and I was going to make sure we both enjoyed every single minute of it!

_**TBC …**_

_**A/N: So, waddaya think? Was the smut okay? I always worry that my smut sounds like an IKEA furniture manual … you know, insert Tab A into Slot B. 'Bout time for those two to get together and start working on their relationship. We're almost done … next chapter wraps up the loose ends and answers all the questions. I hope I haven't forgotten any of them. LOL And personally, I think Ranger should thank Hal, not kill him!**_

_**As always, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing Love and feeding my inner review slut. Love wouldn't be Love without you!**_

_**Stayce**_


	36. To Love You More!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

**_Warning:__Language,__Smut__Alert,__Quotes__from__all__17__books,__Bad__writing,__Absent__Muse,__Writer__'__s__Block,__Real__Life,You__know__the__drill__ … __Also_Taking literary license here! I've given Quakerbridge Mall a few upscale stores that they don't really have. **

_**A/N: Thank You to Miranda,Comma Correctionist and Hyphen Houdini, forEditing, and Beta-ing Love, to Kashy, Friend Extraordinaire, and to Lisa, Burggirl, Maggie, Di, Kat … you know who you all are! Without your laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, as well as encouragement and letting me rant, I'd be living under a rock someplace. **_

_**And Thank You to Everyone who has read and reviewed Love … Love wouldn't be Love without you.**_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

_**What I Did For Love**_

_**Stayce**_

_**(XJerseyGirl)**_

_**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **_

**William Butler Yeats**

_The bravest thing that men do is love a woman!_

_Mort Sahl_

_Chapter 36: To Love You More!_

Ranger and I soaked in the huge ball-and-claw footed bathtub, just kissing and touching while the storm outside howled. Wrapped in his arms, safe and warm, his fingers drifting hypnotically up and down my arms, I leaned back against his chest and dozed. I don't think I'd ever been more contented or satisfied in my life.

I found myself thanking Mother Nature, and definitely Hal, for bringing us here to The Sea Witch, instead of to the bright lights and big city feel of Washington, D.C. It was like we were in our own little world, up here at the top of the house, snow swirling all around us, kind of like being inside a snow globe.

It was finally hunger that forced us out of the tub. We bundled up in the big fluffy robes that the Inn provided, and sat on cushions and pillows we piled in front of the fireplace, to raid the picnic basket that Ella had packed for us. I had to wonder how she'd known that we'd need a midnight snack. Only it wasn't a snack, it was a meal fit for kings!

Ranger retrieved a bottle of the Champagne that he'd stashed outside the window in the snow-filled flower box, and popped the cork, filling crystal flutes with the ice cold liquid. We toasted each other, then feasted on brie cheese, topped with figs and pecans and honey, that we'd put close to the fire until it got all soft and melty. We ate it on artisan bread with paper thin slices of salty Serrano ham.

There was a treasure trove of tiny, sweet yellow tomatoes, little baby gherkins, smoked oysters, cold roast beef crusted with cracked pepper, pâté, and French baguettes with sweet butter. For dessert there were fresh, ripe strawberries for Ranger, and brandied peaches with Romanoff sauce for me. And chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate, tucked away in the bottom of the basket. All washed down with more Bubbly. Ella was a goddess!

"Did you know," Ranger asked as he fed me a grape-sized tomato, "that almost everything in this basket is considered an aphrodisiac?"

"Really?" I peered into the basket. "Ella probably felt sorry for me and thought I needed all the help I could get seducing you," I said, and gave him a pissy face. "I had such a long dry spell, I was practically re-virginized."

Ranger barked out a laugh. "For me, too," he popped a tomato into his own mouth. "The dry spell, that is."

"Oh, come on!" I rolled my eyes. "You really expect me to believe that you've been celibate?"

He almost smirked. "Well, not while you were with Morelli."

"Thought so! All those months in Miami, you probably had hot beach babes just crawling all over you!" I huffed.

"Jealous?" He gave me the full-on 200 watt smile. I just narrowed my eyes and glared at him.

He looped his hand around the back of my neck and hauled me over to him. "You are my _only_ hot Babe… and don't you _ever_forget it." After kissing me breathless, he dangled a chocolate covered strawberry in front of me.

"And all it took to make you lose control was crotchless panties." I shook my head. "I guess they qualify as an aphrodisiac, too, huh?"

"You have _no_ idea!" he grinned. "That was erotic fantasy number one! Don't suppose I could I convince you to go commando from now on?"

"Yeah. NO!" I swatted at him with my hand. "Can you imagine if Lester found out and started blogging about it?"

Ranger groaned. "I'd really hate to have to beat him to death. It's such a mess to clean up." Ranger humor.

"While we're on the subject of beating … you aren't going to do anything bad to Hal, are you?"

He looked around the room, then back at me and cocked an eyebrow. "Babe! The Honeymoon Suite?"

I remembered the stunned expression on Ranger's face when Mike had showed us up here. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

Ranger shook his head, and I swear he rolled his eyes. "I suppose I should give him a raise."

And then he smiled at me, and I launched myself at him.

A long time later, when the lights flickered and went out for good, I had a full tummy and a happy buzz on. Ranger collected wood from the firebox out in the hall and stacked it next to the fireplace. I went to the closet and got out the lanterns that were stored there, as well as extra blankets for the bed.

"Now it's probably gonna get cold in here," I sighed in disappointment, watching Ranger add wood to the fireplace.

"Yeah. Even with the fireplace, we're going to have to do something to keep warm," he said, stacking more firewood.

"Maybe we should bundle up and climb into bed?" I suggested.

"Survival training teaches that the best way to keep warm is to share body heat. That's direct skin to skin contact." He strolled toward me.

"Really?" I lifted my eyebrows. "So, we're gonna snuggle?"

Ranger just shook his head. "Not quite what I had in mind."

"And that would be … what, exactly?"

"Erotic fantasy Number Two." Ranger grinned at the wide-eyed expression on my face, then pulled off his robe, revealing his massive erection. I guess all those aphrodisiacs did their job!

I squealed as he scooped me up in his arms. "Grab that Champagne!" he ordered, and I reached for the snow filled silver bucket.

We both laughed as he carried me across the room, deposited me on the big brass bed, and put the Champagne within reach on the marble topped bed table.

Ranger tipped his head toward the painting that hung on the wall over the headboard. It was a portrait of the French courtesan who had owned this fantasy bed. She was sprawled, naked, across the mattress. Her dark curls spilled over the pillows, her lush lips parted, dreamy blue eyes half closed. With her hands over her head, her fingers curled into the ornate brass vines and flowers of the headboard, she looked like she was still in the throes of passion.

"It's every man's fantasy to make his woman look like that."

My heart gave a little flutter in anticipation, knowing I was about to experience the mother of all orgasms … again! And I swear that Ranger knew exactly what I was thinking.

He gave me a sexy grin and pushed me back onto the pillows. Slowly, he untied the belt of my robe and peeled one side of it open. Barely touching me, he skimmed his fingertips all the way down the right side of my body, from my face to my toes. Then he repeated the same torture on the left side. That's all it took, and I was on fire again.

I looped my arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to mine, fusing them in a soft, sensuous kiss that seemed to last forever. Our tongues met and tangled, the hot, wet slide in and out mimicking what we both wanted other body parts to be doing. I shifted on the bed, trying to bring him between my legs, but he broke the kiss and started a sweet assault on my body instead.

My eyes drifted shut as Ranger laid a trail of kisses from my mouth to my jaw, from my throat to my shoulders, over my collar bones to my chest. He took his time, kissing and nipping and tasting, returning to invade my mouth again and again.

"Open," Ranger whispered and touched the tip of his tongue against the corner of my mouth as he moved to straddle me.

I parted my lips, and waited, for what … I wasn't sure. I slit my eyes open to peek. Ranger held the Champagne bottle above me, then tipped it and poured the wine onto my tongue. When the overflow ran down my chin and settled in the hollow of my throat, he lapped it up. Taking a drink from the bottle, he kissed me again, and our tongues danced on the bubbles.

I stretched my arms above my head on the pillows as he worked his way down my body. It felt like his mouth and hands and teeth and tongue were everywhere at once. He grazed the underside of my breasts with his teeth as he kissed and nuzzled and licked his way from one breast to the other. His fingers kneaded my flesh, his tongue tasted me. And everywhere he touched, I burned.

The contented sigh that escaped me turned into a sharp cry as he sucked my breast into his Champagne filled mouth. Like an electric shock, the icy bubbles burst, almost painfully, around my nipple. The sensations shot through me and headed straight south to that spot between my thighs. I arched up off the pillows, pressing myself farther into his magic mouth.

"You like that?" he asked, licking my rock hard nipple. He raised his head to look at me. "Again?"

"Oh, _yes_," I breathed.

He moved to my other breast and, taking another sip of Champagne, treated that nipple to the same attention. By the time he was finished, I was breathless and trembling.

With an evil grin, he poured a tiny stream of Champagne onto my ribs. I hissed at the cold, and my muscles automatically clenched, making the drops of liquid slide into my navel. His eyes never leaving mine, Ranger bent his head and sipped at the Champagne, then licked his lips.

"You're so bad!" I gasped.

"No, baby," he murmured, brushing his lips over my belly. "You just taste so good!" He sank his teeth into my hip bone, then laved the same spot with his tongue. He slid farther down my body, his eyes dark and feral.

Positioning himself between my legs, he spread my thighs wide then bent my legs so that my feet were flat on the bed, opening me to his view. He ran his hand over my belly and mound and down between my thighs. "You're so soft, so smooth," he whispered, nuzzling me and letting his fingers drift over my newly waxed skin. He followed with his mouth, kissing my inner thighs, then moving to nibble and kiss my naked, baby smooth lips. "I could eat you alive!" he breathed, and proceeded to do just that.

He pulled back and picked up the Champagne bottle again, holding it high. My breath caught in my throat as I waited to find out where those bubbles would burst next. I watched as the bottle moved over me and gasped when he finally tipped it. The drops sparkled like diamonds in the firelight, and fell in slow motion, splashing onto my overheated skin.

I whimpered and raised my hips when the icy liquid slipped down between my lips and the tiny bubbles exploded there. Dipping his head, he caught the drops, his silken tongue sliding over the most sensitized part of me. I writhed under him, pressing myself against his mouth, searching for release.

He slid a finger into me, then another, curling them to hit my g-spot. Between the ice cold Champagne, his hot mouth, the bubbles bursting on me, I was on sensory overload, and when he sucked me firmly between his lips, I came so hard I think I must have blacked out for a second. I had never, ever experienced anything like it before.

The moment I came back to myself, Ranger was on me, pushing my legs open wider, lifting my hips, sheathing himself in me. My internal muscles, still spasming from that staggering orgasm, clutched at him like a fist and held onto him as he tried to pull out of me. My body didn't want to let him go.

He moved, slowly at first, sliding all the way out, then hesitating, building the anticipation before driving home again. We reveled in the sensations of flesh on flesh, the friction building the fire, increasing the heat.

Every time either of us got close to coming, Ranger changed our positions, lifting my hips, shifting me on top of him, pulling me onto my knees. Anything to make it last longer.

And then we were face to face again, his mouth so close to mine we shared each erratic breath. His eyes closed, his heart thundering against mine, he groaned out my name, "Stephanie … Stephanie …" and he lost himself in me.

While the blizzard raged outside, there was a different kind of storm inside. There was a wildness about us that was almost frightening. We were both filled with the same need, the same overwhelming primal hunger for each other, and we fought to satisfy it.

His forearms were under my back, his hands curled around my shoulders, his fingers biting painfully into my skin. Ranger pounded into me like a man possessed, and I scratched and clawed and bit at him in return. I met every thrust, taking him in deeper, harder, each stroke taking us higher, winding us tighter.

I twisted my hands into the brass flowers and vines of the headboard, and held on for dear life. I was afraid if I let go, I'd be so lost in him I'd disappear, spin away like the snow outside the window, gone forever.

Sounds, more animal than human, filled the room, and ricocheted off the walls, echoed off the ceiling. My keening whimpers, his guttural groans voicing our pleasure and pain, as we held each other on the brink of orgasm … until we just couldn't hold on anymore. I was sobbing when I finally let go, and then I was outside of myself, free-falling, flying. Ranger ground out my name one last time, then followed me over the edge, and together, we fell.

Finally, we collapsed in a tangle of arms and legs, gasping for breath, shuddering with aftershocks, stunned by the intensity of the passion we'd felt.

"God Almighty!" Ranger rasped out against the side of my neck.

I could only lay there, barely able to breathe much less move or speak.

Ranger turned his head and pressed his lips to my cheek, then rose up on his elbow and smoothed the hair back from my face. "Tears," he said, his brow furrowed in concern as he studied my face. "Christ, Stephanie ... I hurt you!"

"No," I murmured and managed to shake my head. "No. Just so … so…" I couldn't find the right word, and I couldn't seem to stop the tears, either. My emotions overpowered me.

"Yes," he said. "It was …" Ranger was at a loss for words, too.

He rolled off of me and gathered me into his arms, wiping away my tears with the edge of the sheet. We just held onto each other for long minutes. I think we both knew that what had happened between us had been more than just wild animal sex, even more than love-making. This had been mating, claiming, a statement of possession … the beginning of something both wonderful and absolutely terrifying.

A long time later, when our heart rates had dropped back out of the stratosphere and we were both able to breathe, he glanced up at the painting that hung over the bed. "I was right," he said. "That's _exactly_ what you look like when you come." He kissed me, hard and greedy, on my mouth. "I'm jealous of every man who ever made you look like that."

I made a derisive noise. I had a tough time picturing Ranger being jealous about anything, much less me. "No worries in that department, Batman. No one but you has _ever_made me feel like this."

"Good to know."

Men! Whatever woman figured them out should write a book and call it, "The Care and Feeding of the Male Ego". She'd make a fortune. Too bad that woman wouldn't be me!

Ranger snuggled me into the curve of his body and wrapped the comforter around us. I watched the firelight dance around the room, secure in the arms of the man who loved me. My last thought was to wonder where I could buy Pop Rocks. After all, if Champagne bubbles gave me that kind of thrill, can you imagine what that fizzy candy could do for Ranger? I thought about what his reaction would be when I took him into my Pop Rock filled mouth, and chuckled.

"What?" he mumbled.

"I'm just happy," I whispered and smiled to myself.

"Me, too," he said softly and held me tighter.

The next morning I burrowed out from under the blankets to see Ranger building up the fire again. "Electricity still off?" I yawned and stretched and winced, my muscles screaming from last night's sexual gymnastics.

"Yes, and it's still snowing and blowing out there. But thanks to an auxiliary generator, we have hot water and Laura said she'll make breakfast whenever we want it."

"Good! I'm starving! I think I worked off every calorie I've eaten in the last month."

With the wind howling outside, it sounded as cold as it felt and I was almost tempted to snuggle back down under the covers. Ranger picked up my robe and held it in front of the fire, warming it up so it was all nice and toasty when he helped me climb out of bed and slip into it.

Groaning, I hobble over to the windows to look out at the snow. Ranger came up behind me, put a cup of coffee into my hands, and wrapped his arms my waist. He rested his head on my shoulder, and we looked out the window together.

Through the flying snow, we caught glimpses of the snow drifts that hid the beach and boardwalk across the street. The plows had left mountains of snow on either side of the street, but it still looked impassible. Beyond the beach, the ocean was grey and angry, with huge, wind blown waves crashing onto the shoreline.

Maybe the whole world outside the windows looked cold and desolate, but in here, with Ranger's arms around me, there wasn't a thing I wanted or needed. I leaned back against him, and he pressed his lips to my temple.

"You need to a long soak in the tub before breakfast," he whispered in my ear. "It'll help all those sore muscles."

"Sounds wonderful," I said with a sigh.

Ranger grinned. "Need help? I'll be glad to give you a hand," he wheedled and started to massage my shoulders and the back of my neck.

"Ohhhh," I sighed. His hands felt so good. "Thanks, but no thanks," I said with a laugh. "I don't think a "hand" is what you want to give me."

"Busted," he said with an exaggerated sigh. "I'll start the tub. You finish your coffee." He dropped a kiss on the back of my neck and headed into the bathroom.

Later, when I brought my clothes into the bedroom so I could get dressed in front of the fire, Ranger was lounging on the bed, his hands behind his head, ankles crossed, waiting for me. It seemed like a good idea to treat him to a reverse strip-tease. Keeping my back to him, I dropped the bath towel and shimmied into my undies, giving my butt an extra wiggle.

"You have the most perfect ass," he said from the bed. "And someday …"

"Don't say it! I know where you're going, no pun intended." I bent over to adjust my boobs in the bra cups, giving him another wiggle and I heard him growl and start to get up.

I spun around and pointed a finger at him. "No!" I ordered. "Stay!"

He arched that damn eyebrow. "What am I? A trained poodle?"

"You're a horn dog!" I laughed and tried to drag on my clothes as fast as I could. "You woke me up _twice _during the night! Aren't you ever satisfied?" I pulled my sweater over my head.

"That's not _my _fault. If you weren't so hot and sexy …"

I flung a pillow at him. "You're so full of it!"

He rolled off of the far side of the bed, came around the footboard, and grabbed me around the waist. "I want _you_ to be full of it!" he said, pulling me against his erection. I shrieked when he lifted me and dropped me onto the bed, then came down on top of me, pressing me into the mattress.

I squirmed under him. "What happened to breakfast? I'm starving," I laughed.

"O-kay," he said with a melodramatic sigh. "Just one kiss. You can spare that, right?"

"I suppose," I said in mock impatience. I looped my arms around his neck and tipped my head back, waiting for him to kiss me. Instead, he slipped out of my arms and slid down my body, his fingers catching in the elastic of my panties. He started dragging them down my legs.

"Hey!" I slapped at him. "You said one kiss!"

"Yes, but I didn't say where …" he laughed, and planted a kiss on my bare belly. "Go on," he said, rolling off me and sitting up on the edge of the bed. "Go get dressed. Hurry up before I change my mind!"

"Maybe I changed _my _mind!" I shoved him back onto the bed and swung my leg over him, straddling his legs. I dragged at Ranger's belt buckle, popped open the button on his jeans and unzipped him, setting him free.

It was my turn to go a little crazy, I guess. I went down on him like he was the last thing I'd ever eat! Pun intended! This was a take-no-prisoners, no-holds-barred, full-frontal assault, guerilla warfare blow job. I cupped his balls in one hand, and without any foreplay, I sucked him into my mouth with a force that would have done a Hoover proud.

His fingers twisted into my hair and his head thrashed from side to side as I worked him hard and fast. "Holy G… AHHHHHHHHHHH!" He exploded, long and hard, the second I deep throated him.

I rode out his orgasm, milking him dry, then stood up and tossed my hair. "Up and at 'em, buster. Breakfast is waiting. Chop, chop! Get a move on!" I grinned to myself as I headed for the bathroom to brush my teeth. I left him on the bed, with his arms outstretched, his eyes rolled back in his head, and I'm pretty sure he was still breathing. Good job, Steph!

We had two more fantastic snowbound days in our own private world, filled with stellar love-making and easy laughter. Having Ranger all to myself made it the best vacation I'd ever had.

Our bags were packed and down in the car. I didn't want to leave and stood in the doorway of the Honeymoon Suite, looking back at it wistfully.

"We'll come back," Ranger said from behind me.

"Promise?" I leaned back against him.

"Cross my heart." He pressed a kiss to my temple, took my hand in his, and we went down the stairs and out the door, on our way back to real life.

The two SUVs filled with Merry Men were waiting for us at the on-ramp to the Garden State Parkway. Since they'd gotten on the last ferry to Delaware and didn't have to pick up the skip, they'd made it to Washington, D. C. ahead of the storm.

They'd holed up in one of the big D. C. hotels, along with just about every female flight attendant, from every canceled flight out of the D. C. airports. In typical RangeMan fashion, the men had taken it upon themselves to provide aid and comfort to all those lovely bored ladies. You know that was sarcasm, right?

I guess they took the job seriously because each and every Merry Man looked like hell. Bobby was pale, Ram couldn't stop yawning, Cal's flaming skull tattoo looked burned out. Only Lester had any energy. He was busy transferring phone numbers from scraps of paper, cocktail napkins, matchbooks, and a white lace thong into his Smart Phone.

Ranger was surprisingly forgiving, largely because the men had that federal skip in tow. When they got to the beach house where he'd been hiding out, the skip practically put the cuffs on himself in exchange for a trip through McDonald's drive-thru. He'd been snowed in too, but without electricity or food, and he was freezing cold and starving to death.

Ranger dropped me and our bags in the penthouse, kissed me stupid, and went with the guys to turn in the skip at the Federal Building downtown. Normal life had resumed. Ah well, even _I_knew we couldn't live in fantasyland forever. Dammit!

The next morning, we were reading the newspapers, catching up on world events, over breakfast. Okay, so Ranger was reading the Wall Street Journal, and I was reading all the funnies that I'd missed in the Trenton Times. Just a difference in priorities.

"So," he said, folding his paper and laying it aside. "How soon can you start on Miami?"

"Huh?" I looked up from reading _Zits_. "Start what?"

He smiled as he picked up his coffee cup. "Having the in-house parts department has already made a positive impact on installation efficiency here in Trenton. I think it's time to get RangeMan Miami on board."

"Really? That's great! I love doing that stuff," I told him. The mental wheels started turning. "All I need is the name of whoever's in charge of the installations, and I can get things rolling."

"Then I'll set up a Skype session with Sanchez," Ranger said. "He's Miami's Hector."

"I can take it from there."

"I know you can," Ranger gave me his 200 watt-er. "Maybe when face-to-face negotiations are finished, we can take a couple of days, and I'll show you around Miami."

"After the blizzard that stranded us in Cape May, aren't you afraid that a hurricane'll hit if we go to Miami?"

"The thought crossed my mind. I'm thinking we need vacation insurance."

"Probably not a bad idea!" And we both laughed.

"Before you get started on Miami," he said, "do you want to work from my office up here, from a cubby on five, or do you want your own office downstairs?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "By 'my own office' are you talking about the janitor's closet again? Because the smell of that nasty bathroom deodorizer permeated everything, including me! It took me weeks to get rid of that awful pine smell!"

I think Ranger actually grimaced. "I acted like an ass."

I made a "ya think?" face. "I had a few other carefully chosen descriptive adjectives for you back then."

"I'll bet." He topped off my coffee and slathered a croissant with orange honey-butter before passing it to me. A peace offering, I guess. He was getting pretty good at distracting me with food.

There was still one thing from that awful time that Ranger and I had never discussed. It was that big "elephant in the room" issue, about why he'd spent two weeks in Miami without letting me know that he was back. Neither one of us ever brought it up, but still, it haunted me.

He looked across the table at me, and I swear to God, he read my mind. He gave a barely perceptible nod. "Just remember that there are still things I can't discuss with you." It was my turn to nod.

I took a couple of deep breaths for courage, scared that I wouldn't like the answer he gave me one little bit! Still, I jumped right into the deep end of the pool. "How could you spend two weeks in Miami without letting me know you were back?" I said, amazed that I still felt so much hurt and anger. I carefully folded my napkin and put it on the table, just to give myself something to do with my shaking hands. "And then you just showed up here, ready to pick up right where we left off … like everything was just … peachy." I practically spat that last word.

Ranger sat, silent and still, for a couple of very long minutes. I, on the other hand, fought the overwhelming urge to fidget. I managed to sit still, but my eye was twitching up a storm. The silence in the room was deafening, and I almost jumped out of my skin when he started to speak.

"I handled things badly, Stephanie. For both of us."

Was that an apology? I just raised my eyebrows at him.

"It's a long story … I'll tell you the whole thing someday," he said quietly. "The short version is that I got back stateside and immediately heard that you were back with Morelli."

I wondered who had reported on me to Ranger. Which one of the guys, who I thought of as my friends, had given him a play-by-play of my life while he was gone? That hurt, too, and I pulled my feet up on my chair seat and hugged my knees to my chest.

"When I got here, I knew you'd already made your choice." He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. Ranger fidgeting.

"But how could I make a choice if I didn't even know …"

He held up a hand, cutting me off. "You used to think that because I didn't display emotions, I didn't have any feelings. So, and this is difficult to admit," he dramatically laid a hand over his heart. "You dealt a _lethal_ blow to my ego." He gave me a grin.

"I did?"

"Big time!" he snorted. "So, I acted like a jerk, and I lied about how long I'd been in Miami."

"How long _were_ you back?" I asked.

"About twenty-four hours."

My eye popped open wide and my jaw dropped. "A _day_? You were only back a _day_? Why did you lie about it?"

He took a deep breath and blew it out through his nose. Ranger's version of a sigh. "I suppose I was trying to make you think that your choice didn't matter to me."

"But it did. Matter, that is."

He just gave me a single nod and picked up his coffee cup. "Oh, yeah!"

I was more than a little shocked that I had the ability to hurt Ranger. That I _had_ hurt him. "And _that__'__s_why you acted like a complete dick for the next couple of months?"

"Yeah. But none of it matters now because I got the girl after all." He raised his coffee cup and saluted me. "Can we lay this to rest now?"

"One more question," I said, and watched a pained expression cross his face.

"Go ahead."

"Who told you that I was back with Morelli?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

I thought about it for a split second. "Yes."

He got up and came around the table, took my hand and tugged me up out of my chair, down the hall, through the living room and bedroom, into the walk-in closet, stopping in front of the safe. "Open it," he said.

I hadn't touched the safe since the day he taught me the combination. It took me a couple of tries to get it right, but finally the door clicked open. "Second shelf, big envelope," was all he said.

I hunted around and pulled out a heavy, oversized Fed-Ex mailer. "Is this one of your secrets?" I asked and carried it back into the bedroom.

"It wouldn't be if you'd gone through the safe like I suggested." He cocked an eyebrow at me.

I made a face and sat cross-legged on the bed. Opening the envelope, I slid out a thick binder and flipped it open. To say I was shocked was an understatement. There were dozens and dozens of pictures of me and Joe. There was a complete history, a whole timeline of our renewed relationship, and a calendar with dates, places we went, what we did, who we were with, when I stayed at his house, when he stayed at my place, right down to what movies we saw, and whether or not we had popcorn. The Feds couldn't produce anything more complete.

I was stunned. "Who … ?" I said.

"Last page."

The last page was a handwritten letter. All I saw was that it started "My Dearest Carlos" and ended "With all my love".

I was on my feet, holding out the dossier, shaking it at him. "_Jean __Ellen __Burrows_?" I screeched.

"Apparently she thought this would make a difference, and we'd get back together. I don't need to tell you that it didn't work."

He took the folder from my hands and slid it back into the envelope. "So what do you want to do with this?" He held it up in his hand.

"Shred it, burn it, shove it down that bitch's throat and push her into a wood chipper …" I snarled. "Take your pick!"

He chuckled and tossed the envelope on the bed, then put his arms around me, pulled me flush against him, and kissed me until my bones melted and I got all dreamy. "How many other secrets do you have stashed away in that safe?" I murmured against his mouth.

"You mean other than my 007 credentials and the keys to the Bat Mobile?" And he said _I_was a smart ass.

"Cute!" I gave him a girly smack on the shoulder. I linked my arms around his waist and put my head on his shoulder.

"Can I ask _you_ a question," he said.

"Sure," I answered. "But you know there are some things I can't discuss with you." I was not to be out-smartassed by an amateur!

He tipped my chin up so he could look me in the eyes. "If I had been able to call you, back when I left … if I had asked you to wait for me … would you have? Would that have made a difference?"

I don't know what I expected him to ask me, but it sure wasn't that. Tears welled up in my eyes and I felt my lip tremble. I had to swallow a couple of times before I could answer him. "Yeah," I whispered. "It would have." I couldn't prevent the sob in my voice.

He gathered me close and held me like he'd never let me go. We were both late for work that morning. Good thing I was sleeping with the boss! Okay, so what we'd been doing didn't involve any sleeping.

_Ranger__'__s __bedside __phone __rang __at _ten o'clock. _We __were __in __a __tangle __of __sweaty __bed__linens, __waiting __for __our __blood __pressure __to __drop __below __stroke __level, __having __moments __before __dispatched __some __high-quality __passion._

_He __reached __across __me, __answered __the __phone, __and __listened __for __a __beat. __He __disconnected __and _lay back down, facing me. _"__That__was__Tank._You got a call from some apartment rental service. They want to make an appointment with you."

"Yeah," I stretched my arms over my head. "I called them yesterday. I've gotta get on the stick and find someplace to live."

Ranger pushed up on an elbow and looked down at me. "What's the matter with where you're living now?"

"You mean RangeMan?" I pushed up and mirrored his position, then reached over and ran my fingers through his hair. "There isn't anything wrong with it, except have you seen the size of the closets in those fourth floor efficiency apartments?" He took my hand and kissed my palm. "You know I appreciate the offer, but …" I gave a little shrug.

"No," he said quietly. "I meant here. How about staying here?"

I stared at him. "You mean … here-here?" I waved my hand around.

"Yes."

"In the penthouse."

"Yeah."

"With you."

"Um-hmm."

"You mean like … live together?"

"Babe. We already do."

"Oh, yeah! I guess so."

"So …?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Really, really, really sure?"

"Stephanie, please."

"Oh … you said _please_! I guess if you're gonna pull out the big guns, I can't say no, can I?" And I smiled so big, I thought my face would break.

He smiled back at me, and pulled me down onto the pillows. "In that case, I have one more confession to make. You know when you went apartment hunting with the rental agent and all your girlfriends? Well, …" and he told me the whole sordid story.

"I can't believe you engineered that whole thing!"

He laughed. "I didn't. The credit goes to your mother."

"My _mother_? Do I even want to know how she got involved?"

"Let's just say that she's concerned for your happiness and well being!"

"She confronted you?" I shot straight up in bed and gaped at him.

"Questioned me like the Hungarian Inquisition." Ranger tried to tug me back down.

"My wussy little Burg mom? I can't believe she had the guts!"

"Your wussy little Burg mom is Attila the Hun in drag! _You__'__ve__got__a__helluva__gene__pool,__Babe.__"_

"Oh, God! Do I need to apologize?"

Wrapping his arms around me, he gave me an evil grin. "Let me show you how to make it up to me," he said, and rolled me on top of him.

The next month was filled with both work and play. I got to travel back and forth to Miami a couple of times, meet all the Miami Merry Men, and stay in Ranger's apartment there. I worked hard and got all the negotiations for RangeMan Miami's in-house parts department finished and the contracts signed, sealed, and delivered in record time. So Ranger and I rewarded ourselves by spending a couple of fantastic days playing tourist from Miami to Key West.

No hurricanes or tsunamis ruined our fun, unless you count my meeting Ranger's so-called "sweet little Cuban grandmother" as a natural disaster. Grandma Rosa's the one Ranger said only spoke Spanish and spent all her time in the kitchen, cooking. Yeah, right!

Rosa invited us to dinner and welcomed us warmly, with hugs and kisses. She smiled sweetly, chattered away in Spanish, and sent Ranger off to the store for some forgotten dinner ingredient.

"Come," she said, leading the way into the living room. "Sit." She pointed to a chair and poured me a glass of iced tea.

Then that sweet little, white haired, old lady turned on me with a look in her eye that would have made the Devil himself piss his pants. Now I know where Ranger got that look! And Grandma proceeded to grill me like a cheap hot dog!

"The only other girl my grandson has ever brought to meet me was Rachel, and she was pregnant. Are you?"

"You speak English!" I was gobsmacked.

"Of course I speak English! I have been in this country for fifty years. My children and grandchildren were born here." She waved a hand at me. "Now, answer me. Are you trying to trap my grandson into marriage?"

"No … to both questions."

"What makes you think you are good enough for my Carlito?"

"You'll have to ask him that one. He pursued me, not the other way around."

"Humph! Do you think he really loves you, or are you just good in the sack?"

"Both, I hope," I forced a smile to cover my clenched teeth.

"He supports you? Gives you money?"

"I get a paycheck from RangeMan, that I earn. I'm sure Ran… your grandson has told you that I work for the company." Just in case she didn't know, I wasn't going to tell her that we were living together. Ranger could spill those beans himself.

She gave me a derisive look. "What kind of a woman works as a bounty hunter."

"The kind of a woman who needs to feed herself and pay her own bills," I replied as matter-of-factly as I could manage.

"You have been married? How many times?"

"Once, just like your grandson, but no children."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Why not?" she demanded. "Are you barren?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Plum, what kind of name is this?"

"It's Italian, and my mother is Hungarian."

"So," she sniffed. "You are not Cuban," the old bat curled her lip.

"No. And sadly, your grandson isn't Hungarian or Italian." I sighed deeply.

She snorted at my answer. Even though her questions pissed me off, I looked her straight in the eye and answered them honestly. If she didn't like the answers, tough. I figured that this was pretty much what my mother had done to Ranger, and if he could put up with it, well hell, so could I!

And the questions kept coming at machine gun speed. What was my education? Was I Catholic? Had I received a church annulment? Could I cook her grandson's favorite foods? Did my parents approve of our relationship? Had I met any other family members? Why was Carlos keeping me a secret? Would I be willing to sign a pre-nup? Did I want children?

When she finally ran out of questions, I felt like I'd been used for target practice. Grandma Rosa leaned back in her chair and studied me. Finally, she gave me an almost imperceptible nod, apparently another trait Ranger had inherited from her. "I like you, Stephanie. You are a good match for my grandson."

I was so shocked, I almost fell out of my chair. "Huh?" Eloquent, I know.

"All Manoso men, my husband, my sons, my grandsons, they are so handsome that women fall at their feet." She shook her head. "They are men. They get used to having what they want, when they want it. And they are bored easily." She gave me a genuine smile. "Carlos will not be bored with you, I think. You have a spine; you will stand up to him. If you are smart, and I think you are, you will keep Carlos on his toes, and a man on his toes is always a little off balance. It is a good place for a woman to keep her man."

I just sat there, staring at her in astonishment, trying to think of something to say. But no dice. I was honestly speechless.

She heaved a big sigh. "Love is a new concept for my Carlito. His is handsome and smart and driven, but still, he is a man, so he is bound to make many mistakes. You must be understanding. Make him grovel, and then forgive him." She winked at me and patted my hand.

As soon as Ranger walked in the door, Grandma Rosa switched back to Spanish.

"And what have you two been up to?" he asked.

"Just a little chat," I said.

"What about the language barrier?"

"What language barrier," I said with a smile. "We understood each other perfectly!"

He furrowed his brow and looked back and forth at our smiling faces.

"Don't worry about it," I told him. "It's a girl thing." Laughing, Rosa and I got up and went into the kitchen, leaving Ranger looking like he couldn't decide if he should be happy … or scared shitless.

A week or so later, back in Trenton, I was on the phone with Mary Lou, confirming our next mall invasion with the girls. The clothes they helped me choose on our inaugural shopping spree had been so cool, classy, and comfy that I'd actually chucked all my old ripped up jeans and stained sweats.

The jeans I wore now weren't torn from rolling around on the ground with skips, or from Dumpster diving. Instead, the rips and tears had been artfully placed by some big name fashion designer. I liked looking good, and I could tell by the way he looked at me that Ranger liked it, too.

"Okay, I'm all set for tonight!" Mary Lou practically squealed. I swear I could hear her bouncing in her chair. Obviously she wasn't glad to be getting out of the house or away from the kids or anything … just kidding! "So, what are we looking for this time?" She asked.

"Well," I said on a sigh, "Ranger and I are going to a couple of cocktail-type parties, so I have to come up with something to wear to them, and we're invited to some fancy-schmancy, black tie fundraiser, so I'm gonna need a gown." Even though no one could see, I curled my lip. "But Lou, I have to look beyond _spectacular_… Jean Ellen Burrows is gonna be there." All the girls knew about the file she'd sent Ranger.

"Oh, honey," I could just see the look on her face. "Don't worry about what she's gonna wear. Ranger's only got eyes for you. And we're gonna make sure you look so good that bitch'll fall off her broom!"

We both went off into gales of laughter.

"Don't forget to wear heels and a strapless bra," Lou reminded me.

"Yes, Mom. And I'll make sure I wear clean underwear in case I'm in an accident and have to go to the hospital."

Mary Lou snorted. "Now you sound like our mothers," she laughed.

"They'd be so proud!" I joked. "I'll see ya at six!"

I was running late, hustling to get dressed, when Ranger came into the bedroom, headed for the shower. I was half dressed and he was half naked, and we eyed each other, both thinking the same thing … did we have time for a quickie?

"I have a meeting in New York City at 7pm … you?" he said, tossing his shirt on the bed and toeing off his boots.

"I should already be on my way to pick up the girls," I whimpered and pulled a sweater over my head and then reached for my slacks.

"Okay, we'll have to make up for it later. You can model your new clothes for me." He gave me his Big Bad Wolf grin as he unzipped his pants.

"Sorry. I'm not getting any lingerie, just dresses." I ran a brush through my hair.

"Maybe you could stock up on those crotchless panties?" he asked. "Just a suggestion."

"I'll see what I can do." I laughed, and gave him a kiss before I slathered on my lip gloss.

Ranger stopped in the bathroom doorway. "Be careful tonight." He'd suddenly gotten all serious.

"Oh, come on!" I whined. "It's been quiet. Antoine is dead, and there haven't been any more attempts on my life. It's over!"

"You don't believe that Antoine was the brains behind all those attempts any more than I do." He ran a hand through his hair. "Something's hinky … I feel it. I think your spidey-sense rubbed off on me."

"Can I guess which body part it rubbed off on?" I grinned.

He shook his head. "Just don't let down your guard."

I rolled my eyes. "Ranger," I could hear the exasperation in my own voice. "I have Hal as a driver, Ramon's in a chase car, and I have so many GPSs on me, you could track me on Mars." I gave him "The Look". "I'm carrying my gun … it's loaded. I have mace, a stun gun, and an extra-large can of super-hold Aqua Net. Plus I'll be surrounded by a bunch of women who will turn violent if this shopping expedition is interrupted. How much safer can I get? I mean, other than locking myself in here, what else is there?"

He reached into one of his cargo pockets and held up a panic button. "Humor me."

I think my eyes crossed. "Fi-i-i-ine!" I groaned.

Ranger turned the thing on and slid his hands up under my sweater. Slipping the device into my bra cup, he ran his hands over my breasts.

"You just wanted me to carry that so you could cop a feel!" I groused.

He smiled. "Call me if you need me." Ranger kissed me on the forehead. "Love you, Babe," he whispered and headed for the shower.

"Love you back!" I hollered after him. How the hell did I get so lucky, I wondered as I grabbed my coat and purse and ran for the elevator.

Two hours later, Mary Lou and Lula and Connie and I were jammed into a dressing room, practically swimming in evening wear. We were hip deep in dresses and gowns and pants and tops, in every color and fabric known to mankind. We had all overdosed on crystals and sequins and beads and feathers and fringe.

I must have tried on a hundred different outfits before we finally narrowed the search down to half a dozen gowns. Lula had gone off to find shoes and evening bags to go with each dress, while Connie went in search of jewelry.

A couple of salesladies bustled in and out. One was putting the gowns back on their hangers, and the other was ferrying the rejects back out to the sales floor. I'm sure that visions of commission dollar signs danced in their heads.

Hal and Ramon? They both were outside the dressing room area. Hal, his face so red it was almost purple, was doing his "invisible man" routine, hiding in the palm fronds. Ramon sat in one of those "husband" chairs that were strategically placed around women's departments, texting away on his phone.

"I like this one," I said to Lou and looked at my reflection in the tri-fold mirror. "But I always wear black."

"The red one with the sweetheart neckline just screams "sexy"!" Lou said. "And that dark blue one is stunning. It gives you boobage!"

"You mean to balance out my 'buttage'?" I asked sarcastically, and glanced over my shoulder at the reflection of my ass in the mirror.

"You have to try that silver-grey taffeta number, too." She looked around the little room. "The saleslady must have taken it. I'll go get it before somebody else snags it." She went out in search of the dress.

A few minutes later, when the dressing room door opened, I turned, expecting Lou. "Did you find …" The words died in my throat and my heart stuttered in my chest. Instead of Mary Lou standing in the doorway with the party dress, there was a guy in a ski mask, pointing a 9mm Glock in my face. Oh shit! I opened my mouth to scream for Hal.

"Not a sound," he ordered ominously. "Or you and your girlfriend get hurt … bad."

I looked past him to where a big guy was holding Mary Lou, one hand twisting her arm behind her back, and the other clamped over her mouth. She didn't look scared. Lou looked _pissed_.

Both goons wore ski masks and hoodies and baggie jeans. It was the same "uniform" worn by the guys who had planted the bomb in my car and tried to flatten me with that tractor trailer and shot up the police station, killing Antoine.

"What do you want?" I demanded, squaring my shoulders and facing him, hands on hips. I'd be damned if I'd let him know how scared I was.

"I want you to come along, nice and quiet, and nobody gets hurt," he said.

I tried to buy some time. "I need put my clothes back on." I said, hoping I could get to the gun in my purse. "This gown isn't paid for …"

"No." He snapped. "Come on."

"Can I at least get my coat? I'll freeze to death." There was a GPS sewn into my jacket collar.

He looked at me and snorted a laugh. "I can personally guarantee that you won't be _freezing_ to death. Let's go."

He grabbed my arm tightly and pushed me in front of him, out into the mirrored area between the dressing rooms. He used his gun to point to the closed stockroom door, down a short hall from the dressing area. "Through there." He gave me a shove.

That did it for Mary Lou. I watched in the mirrors as she bit down hard on the hand that covered her mouth, raised her free arm and brought her elbow back into the goon's solar plexus, then raked the heel of her stiletto down his shin and stomped it into the top of his foot. Goon 2 howled and Lou made for the exit.

My thug made a grab for her, and I took advantage of the distraction. I launched myself at him and slammed into his back, giving Mary Lou a chance to escape. We stumbled into the wall with me wailing on him, punching, scratching, and kicking like a mad woman. Somehow, the ski mask came off in my hand, and I found myself face to face with Morelli's buddy, Little Paulie Giamatta.

"Fuckin' bitch!" Paulie growled and shoved me back into the wall so hard I saw stars. He wrapped one hand around my throat and started to squeeze. All the little tricks the Merry Men had taught me kicked in, and I went for his face, scratching and clawing, trying to gouge my thumbs into his eyes.

I didn't stop. I pounded on him with my fists, and a lucky punch caught him in the nose with a soul satisfying crunch. Blood spurted all over the place, and he finally let go of my throat. He balled up a fist to punch me, but I ducked, throwing myself down on the floor, and he hit the mirror instead.

All the while, Goon 2 had just stood by and watched. But when Hal and Ramon charged into the dressing area and took cover on either side of the hall, he pulled his gun and swung it around wildly.

One of the Merry Men fired a shot into the wall over Paulie's head. "Paulie! Let her go and we'll let you leave!" Hal bellowed.

Paulie, the coward, hauled me up off the floor and, wrapping an arm around my waist, held me in front of him, like a shield. With his gun aimed toward where the guys were, he started to drag me backward, toward the stockroom.

"You back off or she dies right here!" he yelled, and pressed the muzzle of his gun against my temple.

He looked at Goon 2 and tipped his head toward where Hal and Ramon were hunkered down. "Get rid of 'em."

The guy held his gun sideways, "gangsta" style, and fired a couple of wild shots in Hal and Ramon's direction. He was a street thug trying to face down two professionals, and he didn't stand a chance. Hal took him out with one round between the eyes. The guy slid down the wall to the floor leaving a trail of blood and bone and brain matter.

Paulie reached behind him and rapped on the stockroom door with his gun. It opened and two more "uniformed" thugs came out, guns in hand to cover our retreat into the stockroom. One of them had an Uzi, and he sprayed the whole dressing room with bullets. Like a bomb went off, doors and walls shredded, mirrors exploded, ceiling tiles fell, the area filled with gun smoke … the sound was deafening. And then dead silence.

The last thing I saw before the door closed on us was Hal, slumped on the floor, a blood stain blooming on his chest. I screamed and tried to run to him, but Paulie slung me back into the stockroom. _He __lunged __forward, __and __I __saw __the __glint __of __metal __in __his __hand, __and __I __barely __registered _stun gun _before __I __went __out._

_I __was __in __absolute __blackness __when __I __came __around. __My __mind __was __working, __but __my __body__ was __slow __to __respond, __and __I __couldn__'__t __see. __I __was __cuffed, __and __I __was __blindfolded. __No, __I __thought. __Back__up. __I __wasn__'__t __blindfolded. __I __could __open __and __close __my __eyes. __It __was __just __very, __very __dark. __And __silent. __And __stuffy._ _I __was __disoriented __in __the __dark, __and __I __was __having __a __hard __time __focusing. _

It took me a minute to realize that I was wrapped in something, a blanket maybe, and it was covering my head. I was lying on a hard, flat surface, but I could feel carpeting under me. I was in the back of some kind of van or SUV.

I became aware of road noises, and _I __was __pretty __sure __I __was __being __driven __somewhere. __We __were __stopping __and __starting __and __turning __corners._ We hit a highway for a few minutes, then suddenly it felt like we were off-roading, driving over rough, rutted ground. The vehicle bounced hard, and I was rolled from side to side until the covering came off my head. I was in a panel truck … no light, no windows, no idea where I was, no idea why.

_What I knew with a certainty was that Ranger would be looking for me. He'd return from New York City and he'd do what he does best … he'd go into tracking mode. Ranger would find me. I just hoped he'd get to me in time._

_We stopped and a door opened and slammed shut. Did I hear a siren far off in the distance? A dog barking? _ I could hear muffled voices and far away traffic noises and the wind blowing. With the heater in the van turned off, it was getting cold, and I was glad for the blanket that covered me.

I got the feeling that we were waiting … but for what, or who, I had no idea. We waited a long time. I thought about Hal, whether he was dead or alive. And Ramon. And Ranger. And my family.

Without warning, the back doors of the van flew open, the blast of frigid air taking my breath away. Hands reached in to haul me out of the van and drag me over to where eight or so guys, all in hoodies and baggy jeans, were warming themselves around the fires that burned in a couple of old oil barrels. None of them had their faces hidden … not a good sign.

"Here's the guest of honor at our little party," Paulie sneered.

There was a car parked between the barrels, the windows tinted so dark I couldn't see inside.

I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. The ground was littered with cans and broken bottles and all kinds of trash, derelict cars, bags of garbage, bumpers and wheels and tires, boards, and pieces of plywood. I caught the glint of water, and the huge, graffiti covered, concrete abutments that rose up into the darkness. Add the constant rumble of overhead traffic, and I knew right where we were … under the Route 1 Bridge.

This was where gangs had their initiations, the homeless camped out in the summer months, and bodies were fished out of the Delaware. This was the graveyard for cars that had been torched for insurance money, old appliances, and building debris. I hoped it wasn't going to be my final resting place as well.

The front doors of the car opened, and two men stepped out. Their heads bent and collars pulled up against the wind, I couldn't tell who they were. Until they turned to look at me, that is.

Malfitano and my buddy, Rinaldi. I wasn't in the least bit surprised seeing Malfitano. I'd suspected all along that he was a dirty cop. But I have to admit I was disappointed to see Rinaldi. I'd really liked him. Of course, it made perfect sense that they were in this together. How better to cover their asses?

Malfitano strolled around the car, nodding and shaking hands with each of the men, greeting them by name.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" he asked one of them, but I didn't hear the answer.

He stopped in front of me. "Cold?" he asked.

He couldn't miss how hard I was shaking. "Yeah," I said. He pulled his coat collar up a little higher. Asshole.

"How come you got her cuffed?" That came from Rinaldi, and Paulie's hand automatically went to his torn up face and broken nose.

"_She_ do that to you?" Malfitano asked, astonishment in his voice.

Paulie shrugged.

"Some enforcer you are," Malfitano sounded disgusted. "The Boss won't be happy!"

Wait! Enforcer? Boss? Crew? Those were all Mafia terms. I thought they were a gang … but Family? The question was … which Family? And what did they want with me?

"Uncuff her," Rinaldi was saying. "She's half frozen. You're safe." The soldiers snickered, and Paulie glared at Rinaldi, but complied.

I immediately wrapped my arms around myself. I'd have to wait for an opportunity to get to the panic button in my bra. I couldn't just shove my hand down the front of my dress with all these guys watching without them getting suspicious.

The sound of a car approaching made everyone turn, hands on guns, on alert. The soldiers stepped back, disappearing into the shadows. Headlights flashed over us, before the car came to a stop between the fire barrels and the river.

The driver came around the car and helped someone out of the backseat. I noticed that all the soldiers came forward again, straightening up like they were standing at attention, their eyes glued to the car. I heard one of them say something about "The Boss".

My eyes shot to the car too. I was anxious to find out who The Boss was … Harry the Hammer, Vito Grizzoli, Connie's uncle. Trenton still had lots of Families. Maybe I could figure out what the hell was going on.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the irony of the whole situation when I finally saw "The Boss". Black eyes focused on me, I could feel the hatred coming at me in waves. It made the hair on my arms stand up.

Mama Abruzzi stopped in front of me, Malfitano and Rinaldi flanking her. I guess they were the Abruzzi Family "Administration", and this was a show of force, designed to frighten and intimidate. And it was working, too. I just couldn't let them know it.

Her eyes swept over me and the evening gown I was still wearing. "Nice of you to dress for the occasion." She laughed when I rolled my eyes. "Are you surprised to see me?"

"Yeah, kinda. I figured you'd be in jail … or the loony bin." I did a one shoulder shrug.

She gave me a sly smile and transformed herself in front of my eyes. From the tall, strong, in command Capo di tutti capo, she shriveled into a small, weak, pathetic old lady.

"Who would arrest a harmless old woman suffering from dementia? One who was grieving the loss of her only child?" Her voice actually trembled. "The District Attorney was so kind, showed such compassion. He sent me home with my caregivers, to live out my life in the comfort of my home in Baltimore." She morphed back to her original self. "The fool!" she spat.

I tried to look bored and clapped a couple of time. "So, why am I here?"

"You killed my son," she said, as if it were the most logical answer in the world.

"Oh, please! Your idiot son killed himself." I folded my arms over my chest. "He should have known better than to swing that stupid sword around in a confined space. Not a real bright guy."

She took a sharp breath and anger flared in her eyes. Apparently she wasn't used to hearing the truth. "You would be well advised to show my family the proper respect!"

"Or what?" My only weapon was sarcasm.

"Or my enforcer will teach you a lesson," she threatened.

"Who? _Him_?" I jerked a thumb in Paulie's direction and barked out a laugh "I don't think so!" I held up my hands, showing off my scraped and bloody knuckles. "Anybody got a band-aid?"

Mama cut her eyes to Paulie's face and then pressed her lips into a thin straight line of displeasure. She stared him down, sending a clear message that she'd be dealing with him later.

Paulie shot me a look that should have curdled my blood. But I was so far past scared, I was immune.

"You may want to rethink your career choice. Your enforcer just got beat up by a girl!" I shook my head at her. "You're gonna be a laughing stock."

I knew that one hit home by the expression on her face. Sure, I knew I was baiting her. Her hands gripped a gilded cane. The fangs in a snake's open mouth held a baseball sized orb of ivory in place. Its body wrapped around and around the shaft. It was the perfect accessory for the woman who was the spitting image of the Disney Cinderella's wicked step-mother, Evil Personified.

It was also the only weapon I had a chance of getting my hands on. And I had to give it a try.

"You've been very difficult to get rid of!"

"Well, _you_ sent a loser to do the job … how many times?" I shook my head. "You think Vito Grizzoli or Harry the Hammer would have given him a second chance? That's who you're up against, you know. You think they're gonna be worried about an old lady who makes mistakes like that?"

She was so mad she was shaking almost as hard as I was. "Then perhaps," she said way too calmly, "I should take care of you myself!"

She moved fast for an old broad. Malvolia Abruzzi clenched her teeth, swung the cane over her head, and brought it down on me. I reached up and caught it with both hands, fighting her for it. Malfitano and Rinaldi moved in, but before I could twist the cane away from her, a pair of hands clamped over my wrists, squeezing so hard I thought my bones would break. When I finally let go of the cane, I was thrown roughly to the ground.

"Lady," an all too familiar voice said. "You can't afford to get her blood on you!" Morelli picked the cane up off the ground and handed it back to her with a small bow.

Mama Abruzzi took a deep breath and regained control over her emotions. "You are right. Thank you, Joseph," she passed a hand over her face and then laid it on his arm. "Still, she must pay for the injury that she has done to my family."

I swear to God, I could see the wheels turning in her head, and I knew the second the idea struck her. She smiled, that cruel, evil smile, just like Cinderella's step-mother did. She bent down toward me. "I think," she all but hissed, "that this will prove that I can play with the big boys."

She straightened up. "You!" she pointed to one of her "soldiers". "And you, and you, and you … all of you!" She clapped her hands. "She's yours! My gift to you. Do whatever you like with her." She poked me with her cane. "Beat her! Rape her! Torture her! Make her beg to die!"

She smiled at me. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"

I was so mad; I didn't even feel the cold. All I wanted to do was to punch her, spit in her eye. Instead, I stood up. I refused to look at Joe or Rinaldi or Malfitano, and I turned to face Abruzzi's soldiers. "So, who's first?" I challenged.

"That would be me!" Paulie said, all the other men staring at him. "I have a score to settle with the bitch." He advanced on me and I had a hard time holding my ground. All I wanted to do was turn and run, but all I _could_ do was ball up my fist and wait for him to get close enough to land a punch. Right in his already broken nose!

"Lady," Rinaldi spoke softly, barely loud enough for me to hear. "I think it would be a mistake to reward him. Especially since he's humiliated the Family with his ineptitude. It would affect the morale of the crew."

Mama took a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding. "And this is why you are my Consigliere, my friend." She sighed and waved Paulie off. "Well then, what to do with her?"

"Put a bullet in her head." Malfitano said off-handedly. "She'll die frightened, crying, begging, willing to make any bargain to save her miserable life, and you'll be rid of her for good."

"Of course, you are right." She smiled at him. "The thought of finally seeing my son revenged was a bit … overwhelming."

Mama Abruzzi waved a hand at me absently. "Get rid her for me, won't you?"

"My pleasure, Lady," Joe said with a bow. He pulled out his gun, then turned, grabbed my arm, and dragged me off into the darkness.

_TBC …_

A/N: Wouldn't you know that just when their HEA seems within reach, there's another twist? But this is me we're talking about, so what else would you expect? You know that the course of true Love will never run smoothly in my stories ... but they'll get there eventually. I hope you enjoy this last ride on the Love roller-coaster. The HEA comes next.

Thanks for reading and reviewing … I'm a review whore to the end!

I'm sorry that it's taken so long to post, you know all my excuses by heart. Anyway, here it is … I already have half of the last chapter written, so hopefully, the HEA won't take that long to post. I'm trying very hard to tie up all those loose ends … God knows I gave myself enough of them! LOL!

Stayce


	37. I Live To Love You!

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**

**Warning: Language, Smut Alert, Quotes from all 18 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse, Writer's Block, Real Life! You know the drill … Also Taking literary license here! I've given Quakerbridge Mall a few upscale stores that they don't really have. **

**A/N: Thank You to Miranda, Comma Correctionista and Hyphen Houdini, for Editing, and Beta-ing Love, to Kashy, Friend Extraordinaire, and to Lisa, Burggirl, Maggie, Di, Kat ,Katbaby … you know who you all are! Without your laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, as well as encouragement and letting me rant, I'd be living under a rock someplace. **

**And Thank You to Everyone who has read and reviewed Love … Love wouldn't be Love without you.**

**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**

What I Did For Love

Stayce

(XJerseyGirl)

Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart.

William Butler Yeats

We were given:

Two hands to hold,

Two legs to walk,

Two eyes to see,

Two ears to listen,

But why only one heart?

Because the other was given to someone else,

For us to find.

Anonymous

**Chapter 37: I Live To Love You!**

The last time I was this cold, I was seven. I remember that all I'd wanted that Christmas were ice skates. I dreamed of those perfect white boots and shiny blades, long white laces and bright red pom-poms. When I found them under the tree on Christmas morning, I was beyond ecstatic, and begged my father to take me down to the small lake in Chambersburg Park. I just knew that when I got out on that ice, I'd skate like an Olympic Gold Medalist. And you know what? I did. I was a natural.

For once, it was Val who needed help. Totally unable to balance herself, scared to death and screaming her head off, my dad practically dragged Val around the ice. I, on the other hand, took off like a shot, skating up a storm with Eddie Gazarra and Carl Costanza and all the other neighborhood kids. We played Crack-the-Whip, with me on the end of the whip. Over and over, I went sailing across the ice. I was in my glory … I was flying.

And then the ice went out from under me, and I went down, the lake swallowing me up. My coat soaked up the frigid water and my skates weighed me down. My hand found the edge of the ice and I tried to grab on, but the ice kept breaking away. Then someone took my hand and pulled me up. My head came up out of the black water and I saw my rescuer … Eddie.

He was laid out, flat on his stomach, a big smile on his face, and he held onto me, keeping my head above water, talking to me so I wouldn't panic. My father and Eddie's and Carl's, strangers, friends and neighbors, laid ladders on the ice and made a human chain. Finally, my dad wrapped his arms around me and pulled me out of the frigid water. My dad rescued me, but it was Eddie who was my hero.

I spent a night in the hospital and, I swear, it was August before I felt warm again. My Mom dried out my skates and packed them away, certain I wouldn't even want to see them anymore. But the next weekend, Dad and I were back on the ice. Val refused to go and never skated again, but I couldn't wait. It was as close to flying as I ever got.

I had to wonder if I'd ever have a chance to feel warm again. Probably not.

It was fury or fear, fight or flight, producing the adrenaline rush that kept my blood pumping, my thoughts racing, and had made me immune to the cold. Unfortunately, all that heady emotional and physical turmoil was wearing off … fast!

The plummeting temperatures and high winds were finally taking their toll on me, and I felt like I was holding on to … to what? Consciousness? Reality? My life? Whatever it was, I was only holding on to it by my fingernails.

The icy wind was so frigid, it felt like my skin was on fire, not freezing, and every inch of my body ached as if I'd been beaten up. I was shaking so uncontrollably that I was having trouble just standing up and it even hurt to breathe. I found myself taking shallow breaths against the burn in my throat and lungs from the icy air.

With my jaw clenched tightly so my chattering teeth wouldn't crack, I stumbled along beside Morelli as he roughly dragged me away from Mama and her henchmen.

He still hadn't said a word to me, or even looked at me, for that matter. So, I was startled when he called out to the men standing by the fire barrels.

"Hey! Anybody got a clean piece?" He looked over Mama's crew.

I knew what he wanted. He was looking for an untraceable weapon … a gun he'd use to execute me. He stopped near the group, and I edged closer to the fire barrel, desperate for some warmth.

One of the men glanced at me, then looked back at Joe and nodded. He reached into his boot, pulled out a small revolver, and handed it to Morelli. I watched Joe spin the cylinder, checking to make sure the gun was loaded, before he slipped it into his pocket.

This whole situation was surreal, Twilight Zone-ish. The man who was wearing Joe's face was a stranger. The features were the same, but the hard line of his mouth, the blank, soulless eyes didn't belong to the Joe I'd known and loved. That Joe was gone, and I wished that I knew why.

What had happened to make him change so much? Why would he give up everything he'd worked so hard for? What could make him capable of killing me in cold blood? So many questions and no time left to find the answers. I just couldn't wrap my head around any of it.

It used to be that Joe was one of the people I could count on, for comfort, for help, to save me from the bad guys. But he wasn't going to help me this time. _He_ was the bad guy now, and I was on my own.

That, in itself, was bewildering. I'd always thought that Joe loved me, would never purposely hurt me. But what the hell did I know? I always thought he'd loved being a cop, too. Guess if I could be so wrong about the one thing, I could be wrong about the other as well.

I looked around me. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no one to turn to for help. My only chance of survival was the panic button Ranger had tucked into my bra. All I had to do was get my hands on it and I'd be saved. But even though I could feel it pressing into my breast, that panic button might as well have been on Mars.

At least a dozen pairs of eyes were always on me, watching my every move. If any of the lowlife degenerates who were so willing to end my life even _suspected_ I had that device, I'd be dead on the spot, and they'd all scatter like roaches when the light was turned on.

"Joe, she was your goomad for a long time, right?" the guy who gave Morelli the gun asked.

"Yeah," Morelli answered. "So?"

"It don't bother ya ta off her like this?" he eyed me.

"Nah!" Joe said with a shrug. "She's fucking somebody else now." Yeah, thanks to you, I thought.

"That's cold, man," The guy shook his head. "You got ice in your veins."

"Just followin' the Boss's orders," Morelli said, scanning the dozen or so burned out cars down by the river. "Look around and grab anything that'll burn. Get a couple of the guys to help you … stick it in that old green wreck."

"Sure thing, Joe," Mr. Helpful told him and called a couple of other soldiers to give him a hand.

Morelli put his hand on the back of my neck, steered me away from the fire barrel, and gave me a push toward the river.

"Wait!" Malvolia Abruzzi ordered, and Morelli stopped short. He tightened his hand on my neck, as if he thought I was going to take off running. Actually, his hold on me was the only thing keeping me from collapsing to the ground. I was lightheaded and dizzy, and my legs didn't want to hold me up anymore.

But I was determined that no one, especially Mama, would know what bad shape I was in. I stood up straight and squared my shoulders before I turned to face her. No matter what she, or Joe, planned to do to me, I still had my pride. If they expected me to beg or plead or cry … they had another thing coming!

"Lady?" Joe turned his attention to her.

Mama, flanked by Rinaldi and Malfitano, strolled over to us. "How are you going to dispose of her?"

"Two taps to the head," Joe replied matter-of-factly. "One to the heart."

His answer was like a slap in the face. Breaking my heart wasn't enough for the son of a bitch, now he was going to put a bullet in it, destroy it, and me. This was the man I thought I'd marry, share the rest of my life with. I guess in some twisted way I _was_ spending the rest of my life with him. Or at least all that was left of my life. I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry.

Mama didn't bother to look at me either. "Yes, but the body?" she asked, all business.

"I'll dump it in one of those cars," he jerked his head toward the derelict hulks by the water's edge. "Later on, I'll bring back enough gasoline to take care of it."

"It." So, now I was an "it" … not even "her". And "it" was going to be burned, like trash. I wasn't even human in Morelli's eyes.

"Won't a fire that size attract the police?" Mama asked.

"No, Lady," Rinaldi answered her. "They'll just think some bums lit a fire to keep warm. The cops won't hassle 'em, especially in this weather. It's a perfect solution." He smiled and clapped Joe on the shoulder like a proud father.

"Good!" Mama gave Joe a nod of approval and a smile so wide I thought her face would break.

After all the failed attempts on my life, Malvolia was finally going to get exactly what she wanted … me, dead. And at the hand of the man who'd been my friend and lover, the man I trusted, the man I'd been prepared to go to prison for. I wondered if she realized how ironic it was that she'd chosen Joe to be my killer.

Even with all the hateful, hurtful things that Joe had said and done, from letting his mother kick me out of the house and close the bank accounts, leaving me homeless and penniless, to trading me to Ranger in exchange for his freedom, to assaulting me in the alley … it was mind-boggling that he could kill me in cold blood.

I realized that I'd mentally wandered off, again, and needed to pull myself back to the here and now.

Malvolia had turned her attention to me. "So nice of you to dress for your farewell party, my dear," Mama was saying with that nasty little smile on her face. She made "my dear" sound like a curse, and I was struck, again, by how much she looked and sounded like Cinderella's Wicked Stepmother, plotting her evil-doings.

Using the tip of her cane, she lifted the hem of my gown. "Delightful frock, lovely shoes. The bullet hole in your heart will make the perfect accessory." She poked me in the chest with the cane, right over my heart, and gave an evil laugh. "It will be such a pleasure to have you gone." And she laughed until tears filled her eyes.

The laughter abruptly stopped. "Joseph! Get rid of it!" she snarled.

There was that "it" again, and my stomach clenched in anger. The witch must have caught something in my expression because she cocked her head and smiled at me. "Afraid, my dear?" My hand itched to bitch-slap that self-satisfied smirk right off her face. "You should be."

It pissed me off that she thought it was fear making me shake. I didn't want her to think that anything, least of all _she_, scared me. Sadly, it wasn't an act. The fact that I _should_ be scared shitless of her hadn't really kicked in.

Malfitano was staring at me. "If you keep her out here any longer, you won't have to worry about how to get rid of her," he said, still eyeing me up and down. "She's turning blue. You could just toss her in a Dumpster somewhere and let her freeze to death."

Oh, nice. Another one who wanted to treat me like garbage. Sadly, Malfitano wasn't too far off the mark about me freezing to death. My hands and feet were getting numb.

Little Paulie had been standing on the edge of the group, listening to every word. "Ha! A Plum-sicle!" Paulie hooted, swaggering over to stand by me. "I bet you'd taste real good." He reached out and ran a finger across my breasts at the top of my dress. It took everything I had to suppress the shudder. "I'd like to lick that!" He gave a dirty laugh.

Rage made my mouth disconnect from my brain. "Bet you would, Paulie!" I spat. "That's the only way you can get your hands on a woman, isn't it? She has to be unconscious or dead," I curled my lip in disgust. "You like doing dead bodies, Paulie? That how you get off?" I taunted him.

The soldiers snorted and some outright laughed. Paulie got red in the face and spun around toward the jeering men. "Hey! Remember who I am!" he snarled at them. "I'm the Enforcer!" He pounded his chest with his fist, but the men weren't impressed. "You better show me some respect!" he yelled furiously.

"Looks like they're giving you exactly what you deserve!" I sneered.

"Bitch!" Paulie made a grab for me, but Joe pulled me back, out of Paulie's reach. It was a golden opportunity, and I took advantage of it. I used the only weapon I had. When Paulie lunged, I kicked him in the balls with everything I had left in me. The viciously pointed toe of my shoe hit the target, dead on. Paulie screamed and dropped to the ground like the sack of shit he was.

After a moment of stunned silence, the soldiers howled. Malfitano barked out a laugh, Rinaldi chuckled and shook his head. Only Mama didn't laugh.

"Maybe you should get rid of Paulie and keep _her_!" Rinaldi jerked his thumb in my direction. "She'd make a better Enforcer. She's ruthless!"

Mama blew out a deep sigh. "Paul," she said almost kindly, as he writhed on the ground, holding his crotch. "As a favor to your father, I gave you a position of importance in my organization. We both had high hopes that you would rise to the job. However, you have allowed yourself to be repeatedly humiliated, have lost the respect of this Family, and no longer have the ability to instill fear into the community. You are of no use as an Enforcer." She blew out a disgusted sigh. "Our association is terminated and you will immediately return to Baltimore." With a wave of her hand, she dismissed him.

Infuriated, Paulie struggled to his knees and then to his feet. "You crazy old bat!" he snarled. "You think the Giamattas want to be associated with a bunch of nut jobs like you?" Mama's soldiers pulled their guns, knives, and weapons of choice, waiting for a signal from Mama to teach Little Paulie some manners.

All eyes were riveted on Mama and Paulie. Here was my chance. I sank to the ground and put my head down in my lap as far as I could. With nobody watching _me_, I was able to slip my hand into my bra and wrap my fingers around the panic button. I squeezed it with all my might, praying that Ranger would find me, that it wouldn't be too late.

"You think my old man's gonna let _you_ have Trenton?" Paulie sneered. "The Giamatta Family's movin' north inta Jersey! We're already doin' business in Camden. We're getting' rid of _you_ and your meat-eater cops, and the rest of the old Moustache Pete's in this here town. _I'm_ gonna be runnin' this city! Trenton's gonna be mine!" He smirked at the collective grumble that came from the soldiers.

Mama just stared at Paulie in stony silence. "I think not!" she said to him calmly.

"Send a message to Paul's father in Baltimore," Mama said to Rinaldi, touching a finger below her eye. Uh-oh. Paulie would be going home with a bullet through his eye. It was the Mafia's way of telling someone, "We're watching you!"

Rinaldi gave Mama a single nod. "As you wish, Lady."

Paulie caught on to what was happening right away. He was going back to Baltimore, all right, in a body bag. "No!" he yelled, panicked. "You can't kill me!" His eyes darted around, looking for someplace to run … but like me, there was no escape. He reached in the back of his waistband for his gun. But the soldiers were on him before he could pull it out.

"Joseph," Mama turned to Morelli. "You will replace Paul as Enforcer for this family."

Joe didn't say a word, just gave her a nod.

She looked from Paulie to me with that tight little smile of hers. "Good-bye, my dears," she said sweetly.

I started to slide the panic button back into the top of my dress just as Morelli reached down and jerked me to my feet. The sudden movement made the panic button slip out of my numb fingers and fall to the ground. I snatched it up as fast as I could, but it was too late.

"What's she got in her hand?" Rinaldi pointed at me. "Gimme that!" he snarled. I just shook my head and clutched my fist to my chest.

Morelli grabbed my wrist, twisting it until I thought it would break. "Let go!" he hissed, squeezing until I screamed. Against my will, my fingers opened.

"Shit!" Morelli held up the panic button. "It's been activated! The signal probably goes straight to RangeMan. We've gotta get out of here, fast!"

"Get rid of them both, now!" Mama ordered.

"Gino!" Rinaldi called to a soldier and tipped his head toward the river. I watched Gino and two others, their guns drawn, move toward Paulie.

In nothing flat, they zip-tied his hands behind his back and stuffed his knit hat into his mouth.

Rinaldi took the panic button and shoved it into Paulie's jacket pocket. "This way, whoever's tracking Miss Plum here, will be following Paulie instead," Rinaldi said, and the soldiers carted a hysterical Paulie away. He fought them, hard, as they lugged him over to the river's edge.

I flinched at the single gunshot, a bullet through the eye. A splash marked the end of Little Paulie Giamatta and any hope I had of getting out of this alive.

He was dead and gone in seconds … and then it was my turn.

Mama Abruzzi watched Paulie's execution with a smile on her face, then turned to me. "Next!" she practically chirped.

I knew I had no chance of rescue, no chance of escape. I had nothing to lose and I _really _needed to leave her with something to remember me by. "You're the one who should be afraid, old lady," I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. She slowly turned toward me, an eyebrow raised.

"Shut up!" Joe fisted a hand in my hair and pulled me away.

Mama held up her hand to stop him. "Why would _I_ be afraid?" Mama sneered. "I am not the one who is going to die."

"Oh, yes, you are." I smiled at her. "He'll come after you."

"Who?" She sounded unnerved. "Manoso?" she asked as Joe dragged me away. "Tell me!" she demanded.

So, Malvolia was aware of what Ranger was capable of doing. Good! "Be afraid … afraid … afraid!" My voice echoed eerily against the bridge abutments. "He's coming for you … you … you!"

"Enough!" Malfitano ordered. "We've gotta get out of here before Manoso and his men show up!" And then it was my turn to be dragged toward the river.

"Traitor!" I hissed at Morelli. "How long before you backstab your new buddies, huh?" Malfitano gave Joe a side-long look.

"Shut up!" Morelli hissed at me. "You're gonna get us both killed."

"Somehow I'm having a hard time working up any sympathy for you," I said, pure hate dripping from my words. "Enforcer for the Abruzzi Family," I sneered as I stumbled along between the two men. "Your mother will be so proud."

One hand still twisted in my hair, Joe fisted his other hand and held it in front of my face. "Shut the fuck up, Stephanie! For once in your life, shut your trap or I'll knock you cold!" he growled at me.

"Oh, I'm supposed to go quietly? Make things easier for you?" I struggled against the hand in my hair. "I don't think so, you Judas!"

"I told you to leave it alone!" he raged. "But, no! You just couldn't butt out! You had to stick your nose in where it didn't belong!"

"Where it didn … Have you ever met me?" I slapped at his hand. "You really think I would just stand by and watch you get framed for a murder you didn't commit? I loved you!"

Furious, Morelli caught my face with his hand, his thumb and index finger biting into my cheeks hard enough to bring tears to my eyes as he shoved me back against the old car. "Yeah, and we both know who else you loved, don't we, _Babe_?"

"Morelli, I know we have an audience," Malfitano tipped his head toward where Malvolia and Rinaldi watched from their car. "But let her go. We don't have time for this shit."

Joe released my face. "Just cooperate. It'll be easier. Don't make me hurt you!" He shoved me, hard, slamming me into the side of the car. My knees buckled and I slid down to the ground.

Hysteria bubbled up in me, and I laughed. "Hurt me? Hell, you're gonna kill me!"

It started to snow, big flakes the size of my palm. I tried to focus on them as Joe and Malfitano forced open the rusted trunk lid, then loaded some of the stuff that the soldiers had collected ... things that would burn … pieces of wood, cardboard, paper. My funeral pyre.

Morelli pulled me up off the ground. "I'm sorry it has to end like this, Cupcake."

"I'll bet," I mumbled.

"I do love you," he said so softly I almost didn't hear it.

"Oh sure! Nothing says love like two bullets to the head and one to the heart."

Malfitano stepped between us, grabbed my arms roughly, and duct taped my hands behind my back.

"Hurry up, gag her!" Malfitano ordered as he taped my ankles together. "We don't have any time left."

Joe took my face in his hands and kissed me, soft and gentle and sweet. A Judas kiss.

I stared at him, stunned. "I don't even know who you are anymore," I said to him.

He looked down at me, the saddest expression in his eyes. "I don't think you ever did," he said, and he stuck a piece of duct tape over my mouth.

Morelli swung me up into his arms so fast that one of my shoes went flying off, then turned and unceremoniously dumped me into the trunk. He and Malfitano shoved me back up under the rear window, where the spare tire would have been in the ancient car. They used an old truck wheel to wedge me into place and Malfitano started throwing boards in on top of me. Morelli leaned into the trunk, the revolver in his hand pressed against my temple.

"Close your eyes, Cupcake."

God knows I wanted to, but I didn't. I looked him right in those big brown eyes of his and remembered how just a look could make me melt, make me want him, love him. Now those eyes were going to watch me die.

The Catholic in me rose to the surface. _Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins … _I wanted my final thought to be about Ranger, about how much we loved each other …

Both men leaned in close. Morelli cocked the gun, Malfitano's hand moved, I heardthe gun shot, and felt something sizzle in my head. And everything went black.

RSRSRSRSRSRS

I came to slowly, probably brought around by the pounding in my head and the shooting pains in my back and arms. I couldn't have told you where I was, or what had happened to me. I only knew I was cold and I hurt.

Groggy and disoriented, I opened my eyes to total blackness. When I tried to move, I found that there was something lying on top of me, preventing me from raising my head even an inch. There was no room to turn or stretch my room to move at all. I was trapped in a small, tight space. Déjà vu, all over again!

Panic instantly set in. With my heart hammering erratically and my breath catching in my throat, I flashed back to another time I woke up like this. Oh God! Con Stiva had come back, had found me, and had locked me in a coffin again. Terrified, I was sure that this time, he'd buried me … alive!

I tried to scream, but I was gagged. There was no air. I couldn't breathe! I was suffocating! Tears slid down my cheeks and waves of hysteria and nausea washed over me as I fought to fill my lungs. Panicked, I struggled in vain against whatever was tying my hands and feet, crying so hard I choked myself. I had to get out! My life depended on it!

All I could think of was that I didn't want to die like this … I didn't want to die at all. Ranger! Where was Ranger? He'd rescued me from Stiva before; I needed him to find me again … to get me out of here before I ran out of air, before I froze to death, before I drowned in my own vomit … before it was too late!

_Get a grip, Stephanie!_ My inner Jersey girl came roaring to life. _You aren't dying! You aren't in a coffin! You aren't suffocating! You're having a panic attack!_ She snapped her fingers in front of my face. _Hey! Pay attention! Calm down, breathe slowly, and get control of yourself!_

I didn't care if she was a figment of my imagination, at least I wasn't trapped in there all alone. _Think!_She ordered. _Where are you? How are you?_ I struggled for control. _Come on! Think about it!_

Think. Right, I had to think. I had to figure out what was real … not so easy to do when my head hurt as badly as it did, and my brain refused to cooperate, _and_ I was having hallucinations.

So, where was I? Oh! Right … Joe and Malfitano had tossed me into the trunk of an old car. I was pretty sure that's where I still was, crammed onto the space under the rear window where the spare would have been. There were tires and wheels and wood and all kinds of junk jammed in there with me. Bad, but better than a coffin. At least I wouldn't run out of air.

Okay, how was I? I was on my back, twisted into a fetal position with my arms pinned under me. I felt like I had been worked over … every inch of me hurt. It didn't help that I was sort of wedged in place by a big rotting truck tire. The wheel was pressed against my ribs so tightly that every breath hurt. There was a piece of plywood, or something, on top of me that rattled because I was shivering so hard.

There wasn't anything I could do to help myself get out of there. _The air was thick with the smell of _rotting _tires_ and junk_, and the total blackness was smothering. Still the smothering blackness was better than what awaited me _if Morelli came back with a can of gasoline. My heart started to thud in my chest. No! No, no! I couldn't even think about that. I couldn't let myself panic again.

_Hey! What's the last thing you remember? _Jersey Girl was trying to distract me.

Ummm … I searched my memory. Joe … with a gun to my head … and the gunshot! Maybe that's why my head hurt so bad. Wait … he shot me! Joe shot me … so … I … I must be dead. But … if I was dead, why was I still here?

I mean, shouldn't I be in heaven?

_Or hell?_ Jersey Girl quipped.

Not funny! Anyway, this couldn't be hell. Hell was hot, and I was freezing. So, not hell … but not heaven, either. Heaven was a happy place, and I was having panic attacks. That wouldn't happen in heaven. Purgatory? Maybe I was in Purgatory. Or maybe you stayed in the place you died for all eternity and … haunted it? Maybe I was a ghost?

_Tsk! Or maybe you're still alive? _Sarcasm dripped from Jersey Girl's words as she rolled her eyes at me.

Wait! Alive? I made my fuzzy brain think about that. I heard the gunshot … could Morelli have missed? My head hurt, but I didn't feel dead, so maybe I _was_ still alive. Probably I should pinch myself to make sure, but when I tried, my fingers were stiff and wouldn't cooperate. But I was alive! That was good, right?

Okay, I was alive! So now what?

_Ranger's on his way_, Jersey Girl whispered. _Think about Ranger._

I could do that. I closed my eyes and thought about us … in his bed … our bed, him reaching for me in the dark, kissing me, holding me close … whispering in my ear … his hands in my hair … his lips skimming my skin … his mouth on my ...

I dozed or passed out, I didn't know which. I had no idea of time, how much had long I'd been hour? A day? An eternity?

Ranger would come; Ranger would find me and take me home. But he'd better come quick. I didn't know how much more I could take.

I was drifting, slipping in and out of consciousness. I was dreaming, _taking shallow breaths against the pain in my back and arms. I was a bird and I could fly away, I was a fire-breathing dragon_ and I could warm myself up. I was so cold, so sleepy I couldn't keep my eyes open. I lost more time.

And then I wasn't cold anymore. I wasn't shaking and I could breathe. I didn't hurt anywhere … I couldn't even feel my hands or feet. I couldn't feel anything. I didn't know if it was night or day … I didn't even care. All I wanted to do was sleep.

_Suddenly there was a very slim, faint sliver of light around_ the edge of the trunk lid. _I went still_ _and_ tried to listen_. Someone had turned a light on, or maybe it was daylight. Or maybe I was going to heaven._

_There were muffled sounds and men's voices._ Oh God! Morelli had come back to finish me off … to shoot me or burn me alive. I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath. I played dead, although I didn't know what good that would do. Dead or alive, he needed to destroy the evidence … and _I _was the evidence.

"You start … I'll go …" The voice got lost in the wind that howled under the bridge and buffeted the old car.

I heard footsteps, hushed voices, words that I couldn't string together to make sense. The sounds came and went, thumping and banging and shrieks of rusted metal from … I didn't know what. And then, the voices were close, I could hear them clearly, and the trunk lid was being pried open.

"Lift that …"

"… move …"

"Take the …" Whatever covered me was being pulled away, and I felt the wind on my face.

The movement stopped. I heard a sharp intake of breath and a whispered, "Holy Mary, mother of God …"

There was a long silence.

Then another voice. "Is she …"

"… too late …"

I think someone touched me.

"… cold … she's gone …"

"Sweet Jesus …"

" … pulse?"

I could see brightness through my eyelids; someone was shining a light in my face. I tried to be still and quiet, hold my breath, but I just couldn't stop the tears from leaking out.

"… crying …"

"What?"

"… tears …"

"Dead bodies don't cry!"

There was a stir of action and someone stroked my cheek. "Stephanie … Stephanie Plum … Come on, Sweetheart … wake up … look at me … Stephanie!" I knew that voice.

I dragged my eyes open and found myself looking into Eddie Gazarra's face. He wore the same triumphant expression he'd had when he pulled my head up out of Chambersburg pond all those years ago, only this time, he had tears in his eyes.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this, kiddo." He gently worked the tape off my mouth. "My heart can't take it!"

"'K," I breathed. I could feel his warm hand on my face.

"Carl, Big Dog! Gimme your jackets." Eddie stripped off his and laid the coats over me.

"No," I mumbled through frozen lips. "I'm not cold."

"Hurry up! Go get Ranger," Eddie hissed to somebody.

"Ranger …" I whimpered.

"He's coming, Sweetheart." Eddie kept one hand on me while he keyed his radio. "I need a bus ASAP under the eastbound lanes of the RT.1 Bridge."

"Steph! Open your eyes! You have to stay awake!"

"'K." I tried, but I just couldn't make them stay open.

"Stephanie!"

"Hmm …"

"Who did this to you?" Eddie demanded. "Who put you in here?"

"Mama," I mumbled.

"Mama?" Eddie sounded confused. "Whose mama?"

"Eddie's."

"She delirious," another voice said.

I heard feet pounding, voices, people moving around ...

"Where is she? Move! I need to see her!"

"She's alive, man. Take it easy!"

"Get the hell out of my w…"

And then I heard, "Oh, Jesus God! Stephanie," like a long, low hiss of pain.

The trunk dipped gently, and a hand barely touched my hair. Bulgari wrapped around me. My Ranger was here. Everything would be okay now. I smiled.

"Stephanie? Open your eyes for me, baby," he said softly. "Come on," he cajoled. "I need you to look at me."

I struggled to lift my heavy eyelids. "Hi," I whispered.

"There's my girl," he smiled back at me, his fingertips on my cheek.

"Been waitin' for you," I mumbled.

"I know, baby. I got here as fast as I could." _His eyes were dilated black, and the line of his mouth was tight._

"Wha's wrong?" I stared into his face, emotions I'd never seen before playing across it.

_"I saw you folded up in there, and I thought you were dead," he said._ I could swear I heard his voice crack.

"I'm not … am I?" I couldn't be sure I wasn't dreaming.

"No, baby. You aren't dead."

Beautiful red and white lights flashed around us, lighting up the inside of the trunk, coloring the big, fat snowflakes that had started to fall. So pretty.

"The ambulance is here, Stephanie. We'll get you out of there now … get you all warmed up …" The wood and garbage was being lifted off me. When the tire was pulled away _I tumbled out, and fell into Ranger's arms. _He was always there to catch me when I fell.

"I knew you'd find me," I whispered, and I drifted off again.

From far, far away I heard his voice. "Stephanie, Babe, stay with me! Stephanie!" But I just couldn't.

I zoned in and out and only remembered bits and pieces of the next day or so. I have vague memories of an ambulance ride, bright lights, soft voices, heat packs on my neck and chest, breathing warm, moist air through a mask over my nose and mouth.

I remembered being completely wrapped in those silver thermal blankets, with only my face showing. "I look like a baked potato," I griped, and I thought I heard Ranger laugh before I went out again. My hands and feet, arms and legs, my whole body ached as the feeling came back.

Worried faces swam across my field of vision … Ranger, Eddie, Big Dog, Ramon, Carl, Tank, doctors, nurses. Whispered voices, gentle hands, it was all one big blur… or maybe I just dreamed it all.

I pried my eyes open and looked around. I was in a hospital room. Definitely not St. Francis Hospital; I didn't know where I was. But Tank was stretched out on a sofa, his legs sticking out over the arm by about three feet, and Ranger was dozing in a chair next to the bed, so wherever I was, it must be okay. It was dark outside. The wall clock said 6:30, but am or pm, I didn't know. I closed my eyes and was out.

I roused again when someone turned me on my side, uncovered my derrière. "Ranger, stop," I mumbled. "You know I don't do butt stuff!" I heard laughter, but I didn't know whose.

And later, quiet voices from either side of the bed. I managed to slit open my eyes to late afternoon sunshine streaming through the windows. "… no sign of sexual assault, however she does have multiple scrapes and cuts and bruises all over her body," a man in a doctor's coat was saying to Ranger. "It took us a while, but we finally got her core temperature stabilized. Breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure are all coming within normal ranges. No sign of any permanent damage from exposure. We'll want to monitor her for another twelve hours, but barring any further problems, she'll be released tomorrow."

"I wanna go home now," I whimpered.

"Soon, Baby. Soon," Ranger said softly, brushing his knuckles over my cheek.

"Considering the wound on her forehead …" the doctor was saying. Wound on my forehead? I automatically reached up and felt the bandage on my temple. Ow! No wonder my head ached.

"… a traumatizing event. There may well be emotional aftereffects. Some professional counseling might be a good idea. Plus, a dramatic incident like this can affect the body's immune system, so keep an eye on her for any signs of infection. Cough, fever, sore throat, anything, call me right away."

The doctor finally turned to me. "We've ex-rayed and bandaged your wrist," he said. "It looks like a bad sprain, but because of the swelling, we can't be certain it isn't broken. I want you to make an appointment with an orthopedist, just to be on the safe side. You're strong and healthy, and should make a full and speedy recovery. All in all, you're a very lucky young woman, Mrs. Pardo."

Whoa! _Mrs. Pardo_? Did I hear that right? I blinked at him, cut my eyes toward Ranger, and gave him a raised eyebrow look. He just smiled. Maybe I was hallucinating again.

"Thank you," I said to the doctor.

"And," he read a little sticky note on my chart, "There's a problem with the paperwork you filled out that needs to be taken care of right away." He nodded to both of us and left the room.

"Let me see what that's all about." Ranger said softly. "I don't want to raise any red flags. We'll talk when I get back."

Count on it, I thought.

He lifted my left hand and kissed my fingers.

That's when I noticed there was an IV stuck in the back of my hand, and a ring on my finger. Somewhere in the back of my head I could hear the Twilight Zone music playing as I stared, wide-eyed, at the wedding band.

Tank chuckled from the couch. "How you doin', Mrs. Pardo?"

"What's going on, Tank?" I had to admit that I was more than a little lost. "How long have I been here?"

"A little over twenty-four hours." With a huge yawn, he hauled himself up into a sitting position. "You're in aprivate medical facility outside of Philly, Bombshell, obviously under a false identity. If anybody comes snooping around, looking for Stephanie Plum, they won't be able to find her here, or anywhere else for that matter. Your parents know you're okay, and some of the cops and RangeMen know you're alive, but as far as the rest of the world is concerned, Stephanie Plum is still missing."

"O-kay." My brains were still a little scrambled, but even so, I knew that once Mama Abruzzi, or Joe, found out that I was still alive, someone was bound to start looking for me to finish me off.

Tank stood and stretched, then ambled over to stand at the foot of the bed. "There are a lot of questions that need answering, Bombshell."

"I know," I said with a deep sigh. I was pretty sure I knew exactly what those questions would be.

"You want to wait until Ranger gets back?"

I shook my head and glanced at the door. "You have to promise me you won't let him do anything stupid," I whispered to him.

Tank's eyebrows shot halfway up his bald head. "Do I get to ask why you think he'd do something stupid?"

"I can pretty much guarantee he's not gonna like the answers to those questions." I grimaced.

Tank's chin dropped to his chest and he blew out a deep breath. "Morelli?"

I nodded.

"F-u-u-ck!" Tank scrubbed his hands over his face. He pulled a chair up close to the bed and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees. He leaned toward me. "Gimme a quick rundown on what happened. And you better start with the part Morelli played in this whole thing."

"Well," I said as I raised the head of my bed, "the Abruzzi Family wants to take over Trenton. Morelli is their new Enforcer. His first assignment was to get rid of me."

Tank's eyes pretty much popped out of his head, so I started at the beginning and gave him the cast of characters, the plot, the storyline, and the action of the drama I'd played a part in.

"You actually heard Malvolia Abruzzi order Paulie's murder?" Tank asked when I finished my story.

"Yeah." I blew out a sigh. "And mine." I couldn't help but shiver.

Tank's big paw covered my hand. "You're ice cold again."

"They put a bullet through Paulie's eye, Tank," I said on a sob. "And I was supposed to get two to the head … and o-one to the heart."

Tank flexed his huge hands like he wanted to beat on somebody. Instead, he stood up, grabbed an extra blanket from the foot of the bed, and tucked it snuggly around me.

"What's gonna happen when Morelli or Malfitano or … somebody, goes back to that car and finds out I'm gone?"

"That's been covered," he smiled at my confused expression. "You know about the mayor's "Clean Up Our River" campaign, right?"

I nodded. Everybody knew that Mayor Juniak was soliciting donations to clean up all the cars and trash that Trenton's citizens dumped along the river.

"Thanks to a 'private' donation, all those cars have been towed to the salvage yard and compacted, and the junk's all been hauled off to the landfill. An hour after we found you, it was all gone."

I slumped back against my pillows and rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. Ranger was bleeding money … again. Because of me. I had to wonder how long it would take him to decide that I cost him more than I was worth.

"Why don't you take a snooze, Steph?" Tank said. "I have some phone calls to make."

I curled up on my side and stared at the ring on my left hand. It was the same one I wore when Ranger and I went to Baltimore to spy on the Abruzzi Family, and broke up the Family business, got Eddie killed, and incurred Malvolia Abruzzi's wrath instead.

I wondered how different everything would have been if I'd just walked away when Joe cut our ties. What would have happened? Where would I be now?

I guess all the thinking knocked me out because when I woke up later on, there was no sign of Tank or Ranger. This time, Ramon was stretched out on the sofa, and a very pale Hal was sitting in the chair next to the bed.

"Hal … you're alive!" I breathed, absolutely overjoyed to see him. Of course, the minute I realized that his shoulder was heavily bandaged and his arm was in a sling, I burst into tears and wailed like a baby. What the hell was it with me and the constant water works?

Ramon leaped up and rushed over to me with a box of tissues, pressing a wad into my hand. "No! No! No!Take it easy, stay calm. You're not supposed to get excited!" Ramon said at the same time Hal babbled, "It's my fault that scumbag got his hands on you, Steph. I know I let you down and that you'll never forgive me but honest to Pete …" I just cried harder.

"Shut it, Hal. You're upsetting her," Ramon snapped, giving Hal an ineffectual elbow to his ribs. "We just wanted to apologize before Ranger got around to killing us," Ramon said, grabbing my hand.

Hal returned the elbow to Ramon's ribs, almost knocking him on the floor. "Dummy! And you said _I_ was upsetting her! Now Ranger's really gonna kill you … twice!"

"Nobody's getting killed." I sniffed through my tears. "You both could have died trying to help me! You're my Rescue RangeMen!"

"Awwwww," Hal blushed.

"That's not what the Boss called us," Ramon muttered.

Hal balled up his fist and gave Ramon a threatening look. Ramon mock zipped his lips and tried to look innocent.

I laughed while I mopped my eyes and blew my nose. "How'd you two get stuck babysitting me?"

Hal gave me a shy smile. "We volunteered."

I loved Hal. "You just never learn!" I joked. "But why aren't you in the hospital?"

"I _am_ in the hospital. My room's right across the hall," he jerked a thumb in that direction. "We share a private duty nurse."

"Then that's where you should be! Tucked into bed, healing, resting, getting better, having that nurse take care of you!" Hal turned bright red again.

"I promised Ranger …"

"Where _is_ Ranger, anyhow?" I was kind of surprised that he wasn't here. He usually stuck close to me when I was in the hospital.

Hal turned serious. "He and Tank and the rest of the guys, are turning Trenton inside out, making a big show of trying to find you."

"Yeah!" Ramon chimed in. "They're havin' all the fun, kicking down doors and knocking heads!" RangeMan's idea of a good time.

Hal added. "Don't want the bad guys to know you're alive and well."

"Tank's putting the fear of God into anyone holding a grudge against you, Ranger, Vinnie, or RangeMan," Ramon ticked off on his fingers. "Hector's scaring the shi-i … crap out of the gangs down on Stark Street, and Ranger's paying "courtesy calls" on the heads of the local Families … Harry the Hammer, Vito Grizolli, Alexander Ramos, and some of the others around town."

"If nothing else, Trenton's criminal element is gonna be laying low for awhile," Hal said.

"Ain't _that_ the truth!" Hal and Ramon nodded at each other.

There was a soft knock on the door and a pretty blond nurse came in. She pointed a finger at Hal. "Here you are! I've been looking for you!" she scolded.

She came over to me and held out a hand. "Hi, I'm Cassie, one of your private duty nurses. We were hired by RangeMan to take care of you two."

I arched an eyebrow at Ramon. "They're okay," he said. "RangeMan security cleared them."

"I'm going to get him settled in his room, and then I'll be back to take out that IV," she nodded toward my hand. "It's good to see you awake."

Cassie turned to Hal. "You aren't supposed to be out of your bed, much less out of your room. Your surgeon will be here any minute to take a look at your shoulder." She wagged a finger at him. "You can't just keep wandering off! Don't make me cuff you to the bed!"

Hal turned bright red and mumbled, "Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am. Bye, Steph." and got to his feet and shuffled toward the door.

Cassie put an arm around his waist to help him. Hal gazed down at her, and she smiled up at him. They were just too cute!

Ramon put a hand over his heart, rolled his eyes, and gave a dramatic sigh. "Our little boy's in love." I had to clap a hand over my mouth so they wouldn't hear me laugh.

Later on, when Cassie came back, Ramon retreated to the hallway where Sybo and Binkie stood guard.

"Can I ask you something?" Cassie asked as she removed the IV from my hand.

"I guess." She could ask, I didn't have to answer.

"You and Hal are friends, right?"

"Um-hmm."

She cleared her throat. "Are you two, um, more than friends? I mean, he was so worried about you, and you're all he talks about and …" she shrugged.

"Hal and I work together, and yes, we're really good friends," I told her. "But I'm in a relationship with someone." That was the very first time I had ever used that word, relationship, to describe what Ranger and I had going. I had the overwhelming urge to giggle like a love-sick teenager.

"Oh!" Cassie perked right up. "So, does Hal have a girlfriend?"

I shook my head. "Are you applying for the job?"

"He seems like a really nice guy," she said a little wistfully.

"Oh, he is. And really cute, too!"

"And those muscles!" She rolled her eyes and sighed.

Well, that was an interesting development. I couldn't wait to see how it played out.

Cassie helped me out of bed and into the bathroom. Just being able to wash my face and brush my teeth made me feel a whole lot better, and after I took a quick shower, I felt like a whole new woman. I climbed into the pajamas that Ella had sent, crawled back into bed and slept like a baby.

It was pitch black outside when Hal's voice jerked me awake. "Steph! Wake up! Ranger needs to talk to you." Cassie was standing next to my bed and pressed a cell phone into my hand.

"H'llo?" I wasn't totally conscious yet.

"Babe!" Ranger said. "I don't have time to explain, but we have to move you and Hal out of there right away. The men will tell you what you need to do. I'll be in touch later to explain what's going on."

That's when I realized that Binkie and Ramon were standing inside the door, guns in hand. This was so not good.

"Okay, but …" Before I could say anything else, Ranger hung up.

"Hurry up and put these on," Cassie handed me a pile of clothes and ushered me into the bathroom. "We don't have a lot of time."

"What's going on? Do you know?" I asked from the bathroom while I pulled on underwear, socks, surgical scrubs, sweater and clogs. Cassie quickly stripped the bed and the rest of the room, shoving everything into a garbage bags, making it look like the room was unoccupied.

"Big Paulie Giamatta is up from Baltimore to claim his son's body, and where Big Paulie goes, the Feds go. He's looking for who clipped his kid. He wants to even the score," Binkie told me.

"He'll want to find out what Ramon and I know about the whole kidnapping and shoot out. If he finds us here, he could find you, too." Hal said.

"Okay. But I still don't get it. What am I missing, guys." I came out of the bathroom in time to see the guys all exchange a look. Ramon nodded to Binkie.

"Guys …" I looked from one to the other.

Binkie chose his words carefully. "Ranger is … concerned … that Big Paulie might try to … use … you."

"For what?" This was like pulling hen's teeth!

Binkie cleared his throat. "Revenge," he mumbled, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Revenge for what?" I snapped, ready to scream.

"Because word on the street is that Big Paulie thinks Ranger offed Little Paulie."

"What? Why?"

"Because Little Paulie grabbed you."

"But … No! That's …" I started.

Ramon held up a hand. "Before you panic, Vito Grizolli is going to broker a meeting between Giamatta and Ranger to set things straight. It's going to be on neutral ground and he's guaranteeing safety. Ranger doesn't want Big Paulie, or the Feds, to get their hands on you before that."

"Or after that, either," Hal added. "But for right now, we've got to do is get out of here and lay low until they straighten everything out."

"That explains Big Paulie, but why would the _Feds_ want me? I didn't do anything!" Call me confused.

"You're a material witness to Little Paulie's murder," Binkie said. "They could put you into protective custody for like … forever!"

Yikes! I hadn't even thought about that. "What are we waiting for? Let's get the hell outta here!"

Cassie slung a stethoscope around my neck and pinned a picture ID to my top and handed me a pair of glasses to put on. I looked just like one of the nurses who buzzed up and down the halls. "If anyone asks, you just started working on the surgical floor," she said as she helped me tuck my hair up under a surgical cap.

She held up a couple of charts. "We're going to drop these off at the nurses' station and take the elevator down to the locker room on the first floor, then leave the building together like we do it everyday. Just follow my lead."

"How are you getting out of here," I looked at Hal.

"Through the hospital morgue," he said with a big grin. I'd never understand a Rangeman's idea of fun.

Ranger had timed my "getaway" to coincide with a shift change, and we just mingled with all the other personnel who were coming and going. Ramon roamed the hall, never too far away, keeping an eye on us. Binkie got on our elevator, and Hal had said there would be a security guard in the parking lot, so we'd never be alone. Nobody even gave us a second glance, but I still ready to jump out of my skin.

I don't know how Ranger managed it, but in "my" locker, I found a coat, boots, scarf, hat, gloves and fully loaded purse, waiting for me. I bundled myself up, pulled the knit hat over my hair, wrapped the scarf so that it covered me up to my eyes, and we walked toward the "Employees Only" door.

I guess Ranger's constant lectures about being aware of my surroundings finally sank in, and I checked out the parking lot for suspicious characters before Cassie and I went out the door.

"We made it!" I whispered, as we crunched through the snow, relief making me almost giddy. I figured once we were locked into Cassie's car, we'd be home free.

We hadn't gotten ten feet when, out of nowhere, the security guard grabbed my arm. "Hold it!" he growled. I almost had a heart attack, until I realized that the guard was Sybo. "You're cab's here," he said, waving it over.

I thanked Cassie for her help, then climbed into the back seat of the taxi just as a couple of big cars came skidding into the lot and unloaded a small army of top-coated heavy hitters. It was impossible to tell if they were Mafia or Feds … looks-wise, there wasn't a whole lot of difference.

I'd gotten out of there by the skin of my teeth. I hoped that Hal and Ramon had escaped in time, too. Slumping back against the seat, I blew out a deep breath.

"So, where are we going?" I asked, expecting my cab driver to be one of the Merry Men.

He answered me as he pulled out of the lot and headed back toward Trenton. "Someplace safe, Sweetheart!"

Sweetheart? I grabbed for the door handle, ready to bail out, as my eyes flew to the driver's reflection in the rearview mirror. Smiling eyes looked back at me.

"What are you doing here?"

"Seeing for myself that my girl is okay."

"Oh! Daddy!"

RSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRS

Thirty minutes later, my dad stopped the cab and waited for an electronic gate to swing open before pulling up the long cobblestone drive of a big, fieldstone house in Lawrenceville Township. "Nice digs," he said, looking over the house and grounds.

He got out, took two suitcases and a carry-on out of the trunk, and started up the front walk. I didn't even bother to ask where they'd come from. I was sure that Ella's fingerprints were all over them.

"Ranger's men are bringing your mother here to see you later on today," Dad told me as we walked. "I hate to tell you, but she's been yapping about how you and Ranger need to get married. She can't wait to start planning your wedding. Wants to reserve the Polish-American Hall." He stopped and looked me in the eye. "Do _not_ let your mother railroad you into doing _anything_ you don't want to do."

I looked at my dad in horror! Oh, God! Not again. First it was Dickie, then Morelli, now Ranger. "Thanks for the heads up," I sighed. "But I'm not getting married again … ever!"

He gave me a curt nod. "Smart girl! But if you two ever do decide to make it legal, do me a favor? Elope … to someplace like Patagonia or Lapland."

"No problem," I said.

"You listen to Ranger and do what he tells you. He'll keep you safe." Dad said, depositing the bags, and me, at the front door. He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. "You call me if you need me! Okay?"

"Okay." I replied, and meant it. I felt like a lousy daughter. I really needed to spend more time with my parents … not just hit their house at six pm every once in a while for a free meal.

We aren't a huggy-kissy family, so I was a little surprised when my dad pulled me into a hug and kissed me on the cheek. I hugged him back. "I'll see you soon," I promised.

I was surprised that Hector came out and took my bags from my Dad. They shook hands, and Hector nodded when Dad told him to take good care of me. I felt a strange little ache in my chest as I watched my father get back in the cab, and pull down the driveway.

"You okay, Chica?" Hector asked.

"Oh yeah," I said as I walked into the house. "Just tired." I looked around the two story foyer. "Is Ranger here?"

"No," he replied. "He finishes his business with Giamatta."

"I thought maybe you'd be with him," I said, hoping that Ranger hadn't gone alone. "You know, watching his back."

"Today Tank watches Ranger's back," Hector said with a smile. "I watch yours."

"Thanks," I said, "I really do appreciate it." I hugged his arm.

"So, what do you think," he grinned as he waved his hand around.

"Wow!" I said, peeking into the formal living room. "Nice house! Whose is it?" There were kids' toys in the front yard, bikes in the driveway, and a big SUV in the open garage. Inside, there was no sign of the residents. The place looked like a model home, a lot like Ranger's apartment, beautifully decorated, but impersonal.

"It is owned by RangeMan. It is a safe house. My best work!" he said proudly. "It is safer, I think, than the White House." He folded his arms over his chest and looked around the room, obviously pleased with his handiwork.

"Really? Then what's with the toys outside?"

"They hide security cameras, motion detectors, and heat sensors. I have installed all of the latest security devices here. When the house is empty, automatically the lights and TV go on and off, the garage door opens and closes, sound effects play in the backyard and in the house, voices, barking dog, kids, doors slamming, music. It sounds like a family lives here."

He slung his arm around my shoulders and took me on a tour, pointing out all the safety features. He tapped the window. "It is bullet proof, one way, safety glass. You can see out, no one can see in."

Since there was "a guest in residence", that would be me, there were two Merry Men on the monitors in the downstairs game room, two men upstairs, and more patrolling outside. Everything was linked back to RangeMan.

The house was a fire proof, bomb proof, invasion proof, reinforced fortress, disguised in fieldstone and stucco, and wrapped in snow covered landscaping. Each tastefully decorated room had a panic button … hell, the house even had a tastefully decorated panic _room_!

"Okay! I'm beyond impressed," I told Hector. "You're a security genius!" And he was. He grinned and gave me an elegant bow in return.

Zero strolled out of the kitchen, sandwich in hand. "Hi, Steph. You hungry? Want me to make you a bite." He waved the sandwich under my nose. "I make a mean ham and cheese," he wheedled. "Pickle, potato salad?"

"No thanks." I shook my head. "It's been a rough couple of days and I'm sinking fast. All I want to do right now is take a shower and shampoo my hair… about ten times." I pulled a curl under my nose and sniffed. "I smell like old tires!"

Hector and Zero took my bags into the master bedroom. Actually, it was a Master Suite at one end of the sprawling house. French doors overlooked a pool and hot tub.

The room was beautifully furnished, king size bed, big comfy chairs, a chaise, fireplace, TV, everything high end. There was a customized dressing room with build in dressers and shoe racks and organizers that made the one in Ranger's apartment look like a phone booth.

The dream bathroom was fully stocked with shampoos and conditioners, bath salts, and oils, and scented candles, and the biggest, fluffiest towels I had ever seen. It had a huge walk-in shower, and a big Jacuzzi tub that called my name. I looked at it longingly, but my adrenaline rush was wearing off. I was afraid if I got into that tub, it'd be my luck that I'd fall asleep and drown.

Even though Hector said no one could see in, my nerves were still a little raw. Okay, a whole lot raw. Standing in the middle of that room, I felt exposed, and I had to pull the drapes … the adult version of a little kid hiding under the covers, I suppose.

What I needed was sleep, but no way was I going to close my eyes until Ranger got here. I felt like every nerve in my body was strung so tight they'd start snapping at any minute. Exhaustion was setting in, and only my jangled nerves were keeping me awake.

As much as I wanted to take a shower, I just couldn't work up the energy. I flopped back on the bed in my thinking position instead.

I was remembering another time Ranger tried to put me in a safe house, and wondering what that one would have looked like. It was back when he was wanted for murdering Hector Ramos, and I'd gotten involved with Alexander Ramos, and Arturo Stolle's henchmen, Mitchell and Habib, were after me and Bob. Ranger and I had been standing in the parking lot of my old apartment building, talking about my safety.

_"So all I have to worry about is keeping you safe," Ranger said._

_"The sentiment is sweet, but not necessary."_

_"What, are you kidding me?"_

_I tipped my nose up, trying to pull off looking indignant. "I'm going inside. And just to make you happy I'll _lock_ my door."_

"_Wrong. You're going with me, and I'm going to_ lock _you_ up."

_"Are you threatening me?"_

_"No. I'm flat-out telling you."_

_"Listen, mister," I said, "this is the twenty-first century. Women aren't property. You just don't go around locking us up. If I want to do something incredibly stupid and put myself in danger, I have the right to do it."_

_Ranger clapped a bracelet on me. "I don't think so."_

_"Hey!"_

"_It'll only be for a couple days."_

_"I can't believe this! You're actually going to lock me up?" He reached for my other wrist, and I yanked the cuff out of his hand and jumped away._

_"Come here," he said._

_I put a car between us. I had his bracelet dangling from my wrist, and in a weird way, which I didn't want to think about, it was sort of erotic. And then in another way, it really pissed me off. I reached into my shoulder bag and came up with my pepper spray._

_"Come get me," I told him._

_He put his hands on the car. "This isn't going well, is it?"_

_"How did you expect it to go?"_

_"You're right. I should have known. Nothing is ever simple with you. Men blow themselves up. Cars get flattened by garbage trucks. I've been in full-scale invasions that have been less harrowing than meeting you for coffee." He held the key up for me to see. "Would you like me to take the cuff off?"_

_"Throw the key over here."_

_"Uh-unh. You have to come to me."_

_"No way."_

_"That pepper spray only works if you get it in my face. Do you think you're good enough to get it in my face?"_

_"Absolutely."_

Mooner and Dougie had driven up, and Ranger gave me a pass.

_"Go talk to your friends. We'll finish this later."_

_"The key?"_

_He smiled and shook his head._

_"This is war," I said._

I had escaped being locked up, that time. Now, here I was, in a safe house, without an argument, or handcuffs, or war. I guess I'd learned a lot since then. Either that or it was "The Ranger Effect"… which produced a total inability to say no to the man.

I must have dozed off because I woke up to a darkened room and hands sliding under my clothes. I shrieked and tried to scramble away, kicking out at whoever was pulling the scrubs down over my legs. A lamp came on, but it still took me a few seconds to realize that it was Ranger doing the undressing.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I tried to wake you, but you were out cold." He said, taking me in his arms and holding me until I stopped shaking.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry … I was going to take a shower," I mumbled, groggy and confused. "I don't remember falling asleep."

"Do you want help?" he asked.

"Yeah, I smell like old tires."

"Come on," he said, holding out his hand. "I could use a shower, too."

In the bathroom, he turned on the shower, helped me undress, then stripped out of his own clothes. I stood in front of the mirror to peel off the bandage that covered my sore temple. I was praying that I wouldn't find a massive bald spot underneath the gauze. What I found was much worse.

The wound was a burn, an ugly, angry, red, gun barrel burn. It was living proof that Morelli had held that revolver to my head and fired it. The reality that Joe could actually pull that trigger slammed into me like a body blow, taking my breath away and overwhelming me with a dozen different emotions.

It was the final straw, and I broke. A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over me as the floor tipped under my feet. I made a grab for the edge of the granite countertop and squeezed my eyes shut against my reflection in the mirror.

Ranger's arm snaked around my waist, supporting me, just as my knees gave out. I slumped back against him and let my head drop back onto his shoulder. "Stephanie, what's wrong?" He brushed back my hair from my face, uncovering the wound, and I felt him go rigid.

I forced my eyes open and looked up at him. His jaw was clenched, his face like stone. His eyes were riveted on the wound on my forehead, I stared at his face.

I could see his perfect features and the web of fine lines that exhaustion painted around his eyes. But to my amazement, I could see something else, too.

For the very first time, I saw it. _I_ saw what _he_ did when he looked at me, why he always seemed to know what I was thinking. I could see what he was feeling … every emotion … as it flashed across his face. A month, a week, a day ago, I probably would have missed it … but right now, at this moment, we were so connected, so attuned to each other, I could see it all … the anger, fear, sympathy, love, guilt … right there, in front of my eyes.

"It's not your fault," I told him. "If you had gotten there sooner, it would have been a bloodbath."

His eyes slid to mine. "When did you start reading me?"

"Don't worry, this was a first." I tried to make light of it, but failed miserably.

"What else do you see?"

I didn't answer him for a long time. "Revenge." I mouthed the word, not able to say it out loud.

He nodded slowly. "I want to kill him for what he did to you, Stephanie," he said, closing his eyes and leaning his head against mine. "I want to hurt him, to make him bleed; I want him to know he's going to die." His soft, calm, rational voice made his words all the more terrifying.

"But you won't," I whispered, cupping his face in my hands.

"But I won't," he repeated.

He brushed his lips across the burn mark. A kiss to make it all better. And then he closed his eyes, lowered his forehead to my shoulder, and just held onto me.

I put my hand over his heart and pressed my face against his. Finally, after too many long seconds, Ranger took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Raising his head, he looked at me.

"I can't make it disappear, or make it heal faster," he said. "But, I _can_ roust Mr. Alexander out of bed and have him here in under an hour. Will that make it better?"

The image of Ranger, gun in hand, invading Mr. Alexander's bedroom at 2am and kidnapping the little man just so he could fix my hair, was so ridiculous that I couldn't help myself, I started to laugh.

And when Ranger smiled back at me, everything was better.

We showered together, and afterward Ranger helped me cut long, thick bangs to cover the burn and the bald spot. Who needed Mr. Alexander? I had Mr. Carlos!

"Cute!" Ranger said when I'd dried my hair. "Sexy!"

"Do you really mean that, or are you just saying it so I won't have another meltdown?"

Ranger didn't answer me. Instead, he wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, pulled me close and kissed me, hot and hungry.

We climbed into bed and snuggled up together, my head on Ranger's shoulder, my arm around his waist. I could feel his body relaxing, his muscles letting go, his breathing and heart rate slow, but I was still wired.

I tried to lie quietly so he could sleep, but I guess I didn't do such a good job.

"You're tense," he said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, sorry."

"I know a cure for that," he whispered in my ear, his magic fingers popping open my pajama buttons.

A little while later all the tension had melted away, and my whole body felt like it had liquefied.

"Oh, God! I love you," I murmured to him.

"You just love my magic fingers." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"And all your other magic body parts, too," I said.

I heard him chuckle as he snuggled closer, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The metallic clank from somewhere in the house brought me wide awake. Ranger was already on his feet, gun in hand, ear pressed to the bedroom door. Another clang, angry voices … Ranger pulled the door open and strode out of the room with me hot on his heels.

We followed the noise out into the hallway where a wide-eyed Zero was peeking around the corner into the kitchen. Ranger gave him a raised eyebrow look.

"I'm not going in there, and you can't make me!" Zero said and took off for parts unknown.

"What the hell?" Ranger muttered.

Ranger and I took a cautious look. Ella and my mother, each holding a soup pot, were faced off across the kitchen island, taking verbal pot-shots at one another. No pun intended.

Uh-oh! I could practically hear the doodle-oodle-ooo, doo-doo-dooo of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly theme. If Clint Eastwood, serape, jangling spurs, scruffy beard and six-gun, had appeared in the kitchen, I wouldn't have been surprised at all.

"I made tomato soup for lunch," Ella said, firing the opening volley. "We all know how much Stephanie enjoys my cooking."

"Well, it was nice of you to open a can of Campbell's," my mother shot right back. "But _my_ tomato soup is made from scratch. It's Stephanie's _favorite_!"

Ella gasped at the insult. "Campbell's? I don't think so! I fire roasted the tomatoes myself! This," she lifted her pot, "has been simmering all night! _This_ is Stephanie's favorite comfort food."

My mother rolled her eyes. "Soup is only half the meal," she said, testing Ella.

"The other half is the grilled cheese sandwich," Ella sniffed.

Ranger dropped the gun to his side and turned to look at me. I did the double shoulder shrug, palms up "got me" gesture.

"I think they're marking their territory," Ranger whispered to me. "I'm pretty sure that territory is _you_!"

He turned to leave but I snagged his arm. "Not a chance, buster. This is supposed to be a safe house! Does this look safe to you?" I swear Ranger sighed.

My mother narrowed her eyes at Ella. "What kind of cheese?" she demanded.

"Kraft American Singles," Ella replied with a toss of her head.

"Baaap! Wrong answer!" my mother snapped. "It's Velveeta!"

"I made cookies!" Ella preened.

"Stephanie's favorite kind?" my mother challenged..

Ella narrowed her eyes and whipped out a big chocolate chip cookie. "Crunchy!" she announced.

My mother pulled out a bigger one. "Chewy!" Mom retaliated.

"Pecans!" Ella said with a smirk!

"Toasted walnuts!" my mother crowed, declaring victory.

"Enough! I yelled and stomped into the kitchen. Ranger yawned and leaned against the counter.

Hands on hips, I glared at both of them. "Pots down!" I ordered, and they obediently placed them on the stove. I pulled open drawers until I found the silverware. Grabbing spoons, I sampled both soups with the care and finesse of a Top Chef Judge, then hunted around until I found a big stock pot. I poured both pots of soup into the larger pot, gave it a stir and a taste, and declared, "It's perfect!"

Mom and Ella both stared at me open-mouthed, like I'd just committed heresy. "And just for future reference," I added, "I like fontina and white cheddar in my grilled cheese, and I don't like _any_ nuts in my chocolate chip cookies." They both clutched at their hearts. I was officially going to hell.

Ranger reached over and took my hand. Turning to Ella and my mother, he scowled at them. "Stephanie and I are going back to bed," he winked at me. "We have some unfinished business. We do not wish to be disturbed again."

He started to tug me out of the kitchen, but my mother grabbed my other arm and pulled me away from him. "I need to have a talk with you!" she announced.

"About what?" My stomach clenched. I was afraid I already knew the answer.

"About the two of you living in sin! It's scandalous!" she hissed. Ella stood behind her, nodding her head. Oh My God! It was contagious!

I backed away from them. "Ranger! Wait up!" And I broke into a run and beat him into the bedroom.

The door locked behind us, Ranger wrapped his arms around me a kissed me until my toes curled. He was backing me toward the bed when his phone rang.

He groaned and leaned his forehead against mine. "Any other time, I'd ignore it," he told me as he sat me on the edge of the bed. "But right now I can't take that chance." He gave me a quick kiss and answered the phone.

He listened, then said, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

He tossed the phone on the bed and started to pull clothes out of his duffle bag.

"You're leaving?" I whined. "Now?"

"I'm sorry, Babe. I'll be back as soon as I can." He pulled back the comforter and tucked me into bed, then headed into the bathroom.

"Where are you going?"

"The Feds want to talk to me." He dropped his sleep pants and walked past the doorway, naked. I whimpered.

"Why?" I hopped out of bed and trotted after him, suspicious that I hadn't gotten full disclosure from him or the Merry Men.

"Probably because they think I'm withholding information," he said around his toothbrush.

"What kind of information?"

"Like whether or not you're really dead, how I found out who killed Little Paulie and who was behind the kidnapping. Things like that," he said, picking up his razor and putting it down again, deciding to go with the scruffy look.

"What happens if they want you to take a lie detector test?"

He looked up at me in the mirror and grinned. "I know how to pass a lie detector test."

"Really?" I gave him a raised eyebrow look. "I guess I should file that away for future reference."

He turned and cradled my face in his hands. "I never lie to you, Stephanie. I may not be able to tell you everything, but I never lie."

"That makes me feel so much better."

He pulled me against his naked body. "I'd really like you to consider going to RangeMan Miami for a while. It's warm, you can lay in the sunshine, relax, recuperate …."

"Not a chance!" I shoved at his chest. "You think you can just ship me off someplace an …" Suddenly, I heard my father's voice, telling me about my mother's wedding obsession. She'd already scheduled a talk for this afternoon. If I stayed, I'd be a captive audience here, and she'd make my life a living hell.

"So," I wrapped my arms around Ranger's neck. "How soon do you want me to leave?"

TBC …

A/N: I'm trying to tie up all those pesky loose ends … if I miss any, please let me know. Looks like Ellen/Helen just couldn't help herself and reverted to being a buttinski! She's a Jersey Mom, it's in her DNA. And is Ella gonna be her sidekick? Will there be a wedding in their future?

What about the Abruzzi Family? Do they go out with a whimper or a bang. You know what I'd vote for. What do you think?

The next chapter gives Steph an opportunity to confront Joe. Every chapter title has had "Love" in it. But I really, really, REALLY want to name the next one "Joe vs. The Volcano"! It's time for Stephanie to have her say! Don't you think?

Well, the next chapter really is the end of the road. I'd like to thank all of you who left reviews and comments, gave me your thoughts and opinions and your ideas about what you wanted to see happen. You've all helped to shape WIDFL! and make it what it is. Your input was invaluable. Please let me know if you're satisfied with how the story ends.

Stayce


	38. Everlasting Love!

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine. I'm only playing with them and I promise to send them home unharmed, although Ranger may be a bit dehydrated.**_

_**Warning: Language, Smut Alert, Quotes from all 18 books, Bad writing, Absent Muse, Writer's Block, Real Life! You know the drill … Also Taking literary license here! I've given Quakerbridge Mall a few upscale stores that they don't really have. **_

_**A/N: Thank You to Miranda, Comma Correctionista and Hyphen Houdini, for Editing, and Beta-ing Love, to Kashy, Friend Extraordinaire, and to Lisa, Burggirl, Maggie, Di, Kat ,Katbaby … you know who you all are! Without your laughter and friendship, pep talks and support, as well as encouragement and letting me rant, I'd be living under a rock someplace. **_

_**And Thank You to Everyone who has read and reviewed Love … Love wouldn't be Love without you.**_

_**And a special 'Thank You' to the Cupcake who inspired this story.**_

**What I Did For Love**

**Stayce**

**(XJerseyGirl)**

**Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. **

**William Butler Yeats**

**I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand and the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow.**

**I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep.**

**And there are no words for that.**

**Anonymous**

**Chapter 38: Everlasting Love!**

It was early afternoon when Ranger slipped into the bedroom from the garden. He'd snuck back to the house after his little "chat" with the FBI by climbing over the wall and sneaking in through the French doors. Of course, the Merry Men on monitor duty knew he was here. Mom and Ella were clueless. They were too busy facing off in the kitchen … and in the living room, and in the den, and in the hall, and in the dining room, and in every _other_ room in the house for that matter.

I thought we had laid the Great Tomato Soup Smackdown to rest, but no. Neither Mom nor Ella was willing to go home and leave the other one in charge. Their constant dirty looks and sniping at each other had gotten on my last nerve, and they were driving me, and everybody else in the house, absolutely crazy.

Even in the master suite, as far away from them as I could get, I could still hear their nonstop bickering. The house was a battlefield, with neither woman willing to give an inch, and I just couldn't take it anymore! Since _I_ seemed to be the prize they were vying for, I'd even locked myself in the bedroom. I refused to open the door or even talk to them. Did they get the hint? Oh, hell, NO!

Ranger came into the bedroom, and I rushed him. "OMG! Ranger! They're trying to kill me!" I sniveled, grabbing him by the front of his shirt in desperation. "You have to make them stop!"

"They who?" He moved to pull his gun. "Where are they?"

"Mom and Ella!" I pointed toward the kitchen.

"Jesus, Stephanie! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I thought you were serious!"

"I _am_ serious!" I shouted at him.

"Stephanie," he took me by the shoulders, "you're over-reacting. Really, how bad could it be?" Obviously, Ranger never had to deal with people intent on driving him crazy. And no, I didn't count!

"They're driving me nuts with this competition! They each cooked me a different breakfast," I griped. "And then they stood there, watching like hawks, waiting to see which one I'd choose."

"Two breakfasts … well that must have been hell!" Sarcasm … from Ranger. Humph! I made a pissy face, but he just kissed me, toed off his boots and stretched out on the bed. "So what did you do? Eat both?"

"No! I was afraid to eat! I didn't want to set off their next round, so I skipped breakfast … and lunch!" He reached up to loop on arm around my waist and hauled me down onto the bed next to him.

"Why didn't you just make yourself a peanut butter and olive sandwich?" he asked. "I made sure we stocked everything you needed."

"I tried, but they wouldn't let me have a knife," I whined. "They said I'd _cut_ myself!" I grabbed handfuls of my hair and yanked it. "Arrrggghhhhhhh!"

Ranger, the rat, actually belly laughed. I tend to forget how entertaining he thinks I am. "Ah-hah!" he chuckled. "No wonder you're in such a foul mood. The beast hasn't been fed!"

I gave him a half-hearted smack on the arm. "Not funny!" I snarked. "I'm starving!"

Ranger reached for his phone and punched a number. "Zero, you in civvies? I have a top secret mission for you.

"Top secret?" I mouthed.

He nodded. "Food run," he said to Zero. "Get enough for everybody and bring it to the pool house. Mrs. Plum and Ella can_not_ find out."

Ranger looked over at me. "So, what are you hungry for? Chinese? Italian? Deli?"

"Yes!" I jumped up and did a happy dance on the bed.

He smiled and shook his head indulgently. "Choose one."

"Chinese!" I snagged his wrist and pulled the phone close so Zero could hear me. "Ranger will have wonton soup, jumbo shrimp, brown rice, and veggie stir fry. I want eggrolls and lettuce wraps and special fried rice and Mongolian beef and potstickers and honey-ginger chicken and … and … and fortune cookies!" I could barely talk for the saliva pooling in my mouth.

Ranger cocked an eyebrow at me. "Dieting, are we?"

"Oh, har-de-har-har!" I stuck my tongue out at him. "Got all that? Thanks, Zero!"

Ranger dropped his phone back on the bed table and yawned. "Come here!" Eyes closed, he held out his arms and I snuggled right into them.

"Do I want to know how it went with the Feebs?" I asked.

He snorted. "We've reached a mutual understanding. I'll share my information with them, and they'll stop pestering me about where that information comes from."

"Do they know I'm alive?"

"They suspect."

"Are they going to keep looking for me?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"But why?"

He opened his eyes and looked at me. "Stephanie, even if the whole Abruzzi Family agreed to rat each other out, you're really the only credible witness to Little Paulie's murder. You're the only one who has nothing to gain by testifying. To the FBI, you're the Holy Grail of witnesses."

"Great!" I sighed. "Why can't we just tell them I'm alive and willing to testify, and that you're hiding me out?"

"The Feds like to think they're in control. They'd want you in _their_ protective custody."

"Isn't that what this is?" I waved my hand around at the safe house.

He barked a laugh. "Not hardly! They'd probably slap you in some federal prison for safe keeping, incommunicado and in solitary confinement."

"Swell!" I shuddered at the thought.

"Look, their motives may be self-serving, and their measures may be extreme, but they _do_ want to keep you alive. If word gets out that you aren't dead, you'll be a target for the Abruzzis again. Malvolia Abruzzi may have wanted to kill you to avenge her son, but the rest of the Family will want you to disappear so you can't testify against them. They can't afford to let you live."

This was getting scary and I blew out a shuddering breath. "This just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it?"

Ranger tightened his arms around me. With a hand on my cheek, he tipped my head back so he could look into my eyes. "We just have to be careful, not take any chances, and get you out of town."

"You make it sound so simple," I said.

"It is. You'll be protected every step of the way by men you know and love, every one of them willing to catch a bullet for you."

"Right!" I sighed, remembering how many other times we'd been in this same situation. "And we know how well that works," I muttered under my breath.

Ranger must have heard me. "It will," he said firmly. "_If_ you take some responsibility for your own safety. That means cooperating with all the security measures we've put in place."

"What are you talking about?" I think Ranger just insulted me. "I _always_ cooperate!"

He cocked that damn eyebrow at me. "And that's why you stunned Hal, right?"

I cringed. "Well, that was a long time ago and there were extenuating circumstances. I've learned a lot since then."

"Look, I know you hate rules and regulations, and being ordered around, and told what and when and how to do things. But in this case, that's what's going to keep you alive!"

"I know." I'd heard all this before.

He gave me a little shake. "I mean it, Stephanie. No dumping your trackers, panic buttons, or cell phone. No ditching your gun or bodyguards. No sneaking out _anyplace_! No going it alone because you have cabin fever or need a Tastykake fix, or because there are extenuating circumstances. This isn't a game. Breaking the rules can get you dead."

"I get it! I get it already!" I snarked. "I'm not stupid!" Pulling out of his arms, I rolled off the bed and stormed across the room to look out the French doors at the covered patio. I did … get it, that is, and as much as I hated to admit it, I knew he was right.

I stood with my back to Ranger, my arms wrapped around myself. I just hated having my nose rubbed in the fact that I hadn't always taken my own safety seriously. I hated that Ranger had bled money to bail my sorry ass out of trouble more times than I could count. I hated that he didn't trust me to follow orders, and it _really_ pissed me off that, suddenly, I was all weepy about it.

Ranger came up behind me and circled his arms around my shoulders, hugging me back against him. Leaning his cheek against mine, he whispered "I'm not trying to make you angry, Steph." He pressed a gentle kiss against my temple, where the barrel burn from Joe's gun still flamed, red and angry and sore.

"I know," I whispered, and rested my hands on his forearms.

"I have to be able to trust that your safety is as important to you as it is to me. It can't be a one-sided deal anymore. I keep you safe because I love you. You have to keep yourself safe because you love _me_."

I sighed in resignation and raised my right hand. "I swear that I will obey the rules, follow orders, be aware of my surroundings, and not bitch, piss, or moan about being held in captivity." Folding down all my fingers but my pinky, I turned my head to look at him. "I do so solemnly Pinky Swear!"

He did his silent laugh thing and linked his pinky with mine. "Pinky swear, smart ass," he said affectionately, and we sealed the deal by kissing our linked pinkies. Turning me in his arms, he kissed me, long and soft and gentle. "Thank you, Babe."

"You're welcome, Batman," I replied, and kissed him back.

When the food arrived, we snuck across the big backyard to the pool house, crouching behind shrubs and running tree to tree like kids playing hide-and-seek. It felt good to have a little fun. Of course, after I gorged myself on enough food to fill up a whole Chinese buffet table, I could only waddle back to the house.

Ranger was dead on his feet, so we climbed into bed for a power nap. Well, he napped and I watched him. Relaxed in sleep, he looked younger, almost vulnerable, and the scruff on his cheeks made him even sexier, if that was humanly possible. I resisted the urge to brush back the lock of hair that had fallen on his forehead, knowing that if I did, he'd wake up.

All too soon it was time for him to head back to Trenton and the pretend search for me. After he'd showered and dressed and loaded up his personal arsenal, I walked him to the bedroom door. He kissed me good-bye, a couple of times, promising to be back in time for a late dinner.

He came back to kiss me again, and stopped a hair's breadth away from my lips when we heard a crash come from the direction of the kitchen. I whimpered, he chuckled. "I'll have Binkie and Junior take them home later on. That way, you won't have to deal with them anymore," Ranger said.

That earned him _my_ 200 watt smile. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I wanted to jump for joy but settled for looping my arms around his neck and giving him a big, fat, smacking kiss on the mouth. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

He seemed to consider that. "Hmmmm," he said thoughtfully, "No, I don't believe you have." I caught the twinkle in his eye.

"Zo, instet of tellink you, vat iff I zeeduce you, Bik Boy? Den I vill haf my vicked vay vit you …" I said in my best "Natasha, the Femme Fatale" voice. I ran my hand up and down his chest and batted my eyelashes at him. "You vill tell me all your zee-krets!"

"Yes, my little sexpot … I can't resist you!" he laughed, playing along with me. Bending me back over his arm, he kissed me … hot and hard and hungry.

Ranger had been very gentle and protective since the kidnapping, loving, but not at all sexual. He'd treated my scrapes and bruises with antibiotic ointments and arnica gel, careful not to hurt me. He'd massaged my aching muscles when I was stiff and sore, and bundled me up when I just couldn't get warm enough. He'd treated me like I was fragile, so fragile that I might break at any moment.

Even though we'd slept and showered together, played footsie under the dinner table, and cuddled and kissed, aside from one brief episode designed to help me relax enough to fall asleep, there hadn't been any sex. Mostly, he'd just watched me. I guess to make sure that I was healing, both physically and emotionally.

Now, he gave me his wolf grin. "You'll need to get some sleep while I'm gone," he murmured, kissing his way along my jaw and pulling aside the neck of my sweatshirt to access that sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder. He laved it with the tip of his tongue and I hummed in pleasure. "I have big plans for tonight and I want you well rested."

He got a little more aggressive and sucked on the tender flesh, biting gently. I shivered under his mouth. My nipples went hard and my panties were goners.

I returned the favor, nuzzling his neck … gently, of course. It wouldn't do for a man looking for his missing and supposedly dead girlfriend to show up sporting fresh hickeys on his neck. And then the reality that I'd been denying finally sneaked into my consciousness … Ranger would be staying here, running fake searches for me, and I'd be in Miami without him.

"This is going to be our last night together, isn't it? I mean until this whole thing is over," I asked without looking at him. I knew the answer before I even asked the question. "You won't be coming to Miami at all, will you?"

Ranger didn't say anything, just hugged me tighter.

"How long, do you think?" I leaned my forehead against his shoulder so that he wouldn't see the tears that collected in my eyes. I loved the idea of going to Miami, but I just hated going to Miami without Ranger.

"No idea," he said softly, his lips against my forehead.

I took a shaky breath and pushed back to look in his face, forcing myself to smile. "Well then, I guess we need to make the most of tonight. Make some memories," I said. "I don't want you forgetting me while I'm out of town." I knew my false bravado wasn't fooling Ranger at all, but I didn't want him to see me all weepy.

He put his hands on either side of my neck and ran a thumb over my lips. "Never happen," he said softly, looking deep into my eyes. "You are absolutely unforgettable." He brushed the tears off my cheeks, and kissed me until my toes curled and my bones melted.

"I think we need to start making those memories right now," I whispered breathlessly, plastering myself against him from chest to knees. I needed him with a desperation I'd never known before, and I rubbed against him like a cat in heat.

I'm pretty sure that he needed me, too. He slid his hands down my back to my butt and pulled me tight against his growing erection. I heard his sharp intake of breath as I moved against him.

"You're killing me here," he groaned, eyes closed. "The sooner I leave, the sooner I'll get back."

"What if I don't want you to leave? What if I need you now?" I breathed.

I fused my mouth to his and kissed him for all I was worth. Edging backwards, toward the bed, I brought Ranger with me. I let myself fall onto the mattress with him on top of me, and wrapped my legs around his hips so he couldn't escape … not that I thought he wanted to.

Ranger rose up on his forearms and looked down at me. "_You_ are a bad influence, Stephanie Plum!" he said sternly. "You make it difficult for me to focus on the goal!" He took a sharp breath as I arched my hips against him.

"That's because I'm focused on a different goal!" I ground my pelvis against his and his eyes slid shut as he moved with me.

"You fight dirty," he breathed.

"Only applying a little pressure." I was pretty breathless myself as I arched against him again. "Just like you taught me."

"You learned your lessons well, grasshopper!" he gasped, and his hands tightened on me.

"Didn't realize you were giving information to the enemy, did you?"

He opened his bedroom eyes and gave me a wolf grin. "The enemy?" He grabbed my wrists and pinned my hands above my head. "I conquer my enemies."

"Then let the battle begin!" I grinned back at him.

I squealed with laughter as he flipped us over and slid his hand up under my sweatshirt to pop open my front-closing bra. Cupping my breasts, he stroked and kneading gently. "You're so soft." I pressed into his hands, hungry for his touch. Before I knew it, I was naked to the waist.

I moved my hips in a circular motion over his erection. "And you're so hard!"

His talented fingers plucked and teased my breasts. My laughter turned into a moan when he pulled me down and closed his lips over my nipple, sipping at it, sending electric shocks through my body. When he sucked me into his mouth, I could feel the pull all the way down between my legs and I rocked against him.

We were both breathless and laughing as he flipped us again. He shoved my sweats and panties down over my legs and I kicked them off. I tore at his belt and unbuttoned his cargos, then held my breath as he lifted my hips and poised to thrust into me.

Bang! Bang! Bang! I froze, but Ranger instantly grabbed his gun off the night table. Bang! Bang! Bang!

Who the hell was pounding on the bedroom door? At the same time someone tapped on the outside of the French doors. We looked from one set of doors to the other, then back at each other. Nooooooo!

"Stephanie!" Ella's voice.

"Stephanie?" My mother's.

I swallowed hard. "Yes?" I called, my voice shaky. What I really wanted to shriek was, "Get lost! We're having wild monkey sex here!"

"I've brought your favorite dessert," Ella said brightly from outside the bedroom door. "Cheesecake!" she announced.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap! We turned and looked at the French doors. My mother stood outside in the cold, trying to peer through the one way glass, holding a plate of pineapple upside-down cake, loaded with whipped cream. "Stephanie? Dessert!" Mom called. "Your favorite!" she wheedled.

"No, thank you!" I hollered, "I'm ... uh … I'm in bed!" Well, that was the truth! But the knocking and tapping continued. "See what I mean?" I whined to Ranger.

Ranger muttered a curse under his breath and rolled off me. He stood to tuck and zip himself back into his cargos while I pulled myself back together.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said, helping me up off the bed.

"Forget Miami! They're going to drive me crazy! I'm gonna need to go to a loony bin!" I started to tear up. Now I was hot and horny and weepy. I smacked my forehead against his rock hard chest … in time with the knocking on the doors. "Wait! Gimme your gun!" I demanded, sounding a little maniacal even to myself.

Ranger chuckled and brushed a kiss on my forehead. "Looking a little crazed there, Babe. I'll take care of them!" Phooey! I just wanted him to take care of _me_!

He stalked over to the French doors and yanked them open. My mother's smile vanished and her eyes got big at the sight of half-dressed Ranger. "Kitchen, now!" He growled at her. She let out a squeak and scurried off. Shutting the door firmly, he crossed the room and delivered the same message to Ella, who had pretty much the same reaction.

He pulled on his shirt and yanked his phone off his belt. Punching a number, he barked, "Binkie, garage, two minutes!" Taking my hand, he tugged me out of the bedroom and through the house into the kitchen where Mom and Ella had squared off … again!

"Kiss Stephanie good-bye!" he announced to the two surprised women. "Time to go!"

"She's leaving already?" My mother asked.

"No, Helen," Ranger didn't even crack a smile. "You two are."

Mom and Ella were so stunned they were actually speechless. I took full advantage of their silence and quickly hugged and kissed them good-bye, thanking them for taking care of me while I shoved them into their coats and stuffed their purses into their hands.

Ranger sent me a big grin and then practically dragged my protesting mother and an equally irate Ella out of the house and into the garage, handing them over to Binkie. I practically skipped along behind them.

With his arm slung over my shoulder, Ranger and I watched Binkie load the ladies into the SUV and climb into the driver's seat. He shot us a look of pure terror, and I had to hide my face in Ranger's shoulder so poor Binkie wouldn't see me laugh.

"I'll call you when I'm on my way back," Ranger said, tucking my hair behind my ear. Sadly, there were no PDAs in front of his men, so he just slid on his mirrored sunglasses, folded himself into the Mercedes, flew out of the garage and down the driveway. Binkie followed, lost in Ranger's dust. And me? I let out a whoop and did my happy dance all the way back inside.

With Mom and Ella gone, the Merry Men came out of hiding. Sybo built a roaring blaze in the huge stone fireplace in the den. Hector brought me a giant mug of hot chocolate, with cinnamon and whipped cream, and Zero slid Ghostbusters into the DVD player while I curled up in a comfy, oversized chair. I didn't last through the opening credits before I conked out.

I woke up covered with the pricy cashmere afghan that Tank and the Merry Men brought me right after the kidnapping, when they heard that I was always cold and just couldn't get warm enough. Eddie Gazarra must have spilled the beans about my ice skating mishap back when I was seven years old.

Okay, so I guess the blanket was really a bribe. And so were the genuine Uggs, the fur lined slippers, the fuzzy socks, the flannel-lined satin pajamas, the big, fluffy velour robe, the electric blanket, the hand warmers and the life-time supply of gourmet hot chocolate. Do we see a pattern here?

It turns out the Merry Men all felt guilty that they hadn't found me sooner on the night I was kidnapped. For some strange reason, they decided that it was _their_ fault I'd almost frozen to death. I tried to refuse the goodies … cross my greedy little Jersey Girl heart. But they insisted I keep all the stuff.

Hey, if it made them feel better, who was I to argue with a guilty conscience? I thought of it as a good deed. Just kidding! Honest to God, I had no idea why _they'd_ feel responsible, especially since they were only following RangeMan protocol.

Anyway, according to what Tank told me, here's the straight scoop on what happened that night. Lula and Connie, and Ramon and Hal, all called RangeMan from the Mall as soon as Little Paulie showed up in the dressing room. Since Ranger was in meetings in New York City, and the weather was going to slow down his trip back to Trenton, Tank was in charge of the whole situation.

Even though RangeMan beat the cops to the Mall, I was already long gone by the time they got there. Paulie and his flunkies had shot up the whole place, had stunned me and carted me off. Since I had no trackers on me, the Merry Men had no idea where I'd been taken.

Once I managed to press that panic button, though, RangeMan hit the ground running. But again, by the time they got down under the Route 1 Bridge, there was nobody there. The high winds and heavy snowfall had wiped away any sign that I'd even been there, much less that I was stashed in the trunk of one of those snow covered old cars. So, the Merry Men did what they were supposed to do … they followed the signal from my panic button.

As the signal moved downriver, so did the guys. Of course, they had no way of knowing that I wasn't the one with the panic button. Plus, they couldn't tell if the signal was coming from a vehicle following the river road, a boat going downriver, or if it was in the water.

The State Police from both New Jersey and Pennsylvania provided search teams on their respective sides of the river. Still, it took hours to locate the panic button … miles down the river, in the water, on Little Paulie's body.

By then, Ranger was back in Trenton. Eddie and some of the other off-duty cops teamed up with RangeMan to start the search for me from "ground zero", the spot where the panic button had been activated … under the Route 1 Bridge.

It was my friends, not cops, who searched for me. It was my friend Eddie, not Sgt. Gazarra, who found me. No police report was ever filed. And it was a private ambulance that took me to a private hospital. Everyone involved in the search and rescue understood that my life depended on secrecy. Stephanie Plum just disappeared.

I guess that's another reason why the Merry Men felt guilty, they hadn't found me themselves. All I knew was that _somebody_ found me, and it didn't make any difference to me who it was. So what if I felt cold all the time … I could feel! That meant I was _alive_! And let me tell ya, alive was a whole hell of a lot better than the other option!

I hauled myself up out of the chair and headed for the kitchen with the afghan still wrapped around me. If this was going to be our last night together, I needed to make it special, for both Ranger and me. We had memories to make, and I needed to set the stage.

I checked the fridge and found that Ella, bless her heart, had left a chicken, wild rice, and artichoke casserole, salad makings, and a bowl of big, fat, juicy strawberries. I'd have to remember to thank her. There was a bottle of Ranger's favorite wine in the wine cooler, and a loaf of French bread on the counter. Perfect!

What? I can do salad. And even Paula Deen can't reheat food better than I can!

In the bedroom, I hauled a small round table and a pair of wingback chairs over in front of the fireplace, and set the table … crystal, china … candles even. In fact, I went through the whole house and collected every candle I could find.

I showered, shampooed and shaved, buffed, puffed, exfoliated and moisturized. I did my hair and makeup, spritzed on perfume, and laid out the black silk and lace nightgown and matching robe that Ranger had me wear the night I moved into the penthouse. I'd put them on just before Ranger got back.

By the time he pulled into the garage, I'd opened the wine, tossed the salad, and brought the casserole to the table. Sexy jazz played softly, the fireplace gave the darkened room a warm glow, and the candles twinkled like stars. The scene was set for some serious love-making.

He knocked on the bedroom door, and I unlocked it to let him in. Stopping short in the doorway, he looked around and a smile split his face as his eyes settled on me. "You never disappoint," I could hear the pleasure in his voice.

"I wanted tonight to be special," I replied with a shrug.

His smile faded as he turned serious and he cupped my cheek with his hand, his thumb tracing over my lips. "Every night with you is special, Stephanie," he said softly and lightly kissed first one corner of my mouth, then the other.

I had to smile. Ranger didn't give idle compliments. He always meant what he said, and what he said warmed me down to my toes.

"Are you hungry?" I said, nodding toward the table.

His wolf grin appeared as his eyes raked my body. "Starving!" He kissed me hard and pressed against me so I could feel just how "hungry" he was. "You look delicious," he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. "Good enough to eat!" and he sank his teeth gently into my shoulder.

I couldn't help the shiver of anticipation that ran through me.

"Cold?" he asked, concerned.

"Not anymore!" I pressed myself against him.

That made him smile. "Go sit by the fire. I'll be right back," he said and headed for the bathroom, stripping as he went.

I followed him, enjoying the show. Leaning against the door jamb, I watched him slather shaving cream on his face and throat.

"How long do we have?" I asked

"I'm off the roster for the rest of the night," Ranger said with a smile that matched my own. He hit the shower and I poured the wine and served the salad.

He came to the table bare-footed and bare-chested, wearing only low slung black sleep pants. Forget the food … he made my mouth water.

We ate, we drank, we laughed. Then Ranger took my hand and tugged me to my feet. "Dance with me, Stephanie," he whispered, untying my robe. Slipping his hands under the silk, he slid it off my shoulders and down my arms to puddle on the floor.

Pulling me close, he kissed my forehead and wrapped his arms around me. I sighed in contentment and rested my head on his shoulder … and we danced … eyes closed … lost in each other.

His hands drifted lightly over my back and arms, down over my butt and up my sides to my breasts. Sliding a finger under the braided silk of the nightgown's delicate strap, he slowly eased it off my shoulder.

His lips brushed back and forth across my bare skin and he found that sensitive spot beneath my ear, tasting it with the tip of his tongue. Every nerve ending came roaring to life, and my body hummed with pleasure and anticipation.

I returned his attentions, kissing along his jaw-line. I fused my mouth to his, my tongue tangling with his, while my hands slipped beneath the waistband of his sleep pants and stroked him in time with my tongue.

He made a sound, deep in his chest, like a growl, and he swept me up into his arms. Carrying me across the room, he laid me on the bed, then stretched out on top of me. I reveled in the feel of him pressing me into the mattress. We'd been made for each other, a perfect fit.

Each time we made love was like the first time. Ranger raised love making to an art form. He knew my body so well, what made me sigh, gasp, or moan. He was a master of foreplay, touching, tasting, exploring. With the sweet torture of his magic mouth and fingers, he brought me to the very brink of orgasm, then pulled me back to Earth. And he'd start all over again.

We kissed, long and slow and deep, until I swore I could feel the blood flowing through my veins. We touched and tasted each other until we both trembled. My beautiful nightgown was lying in shreds on the floor, tangled with Ranger's sleep pants. I was breathless and begging when his phone started to vibrate, dancing across the night table. Tank's ringtone filled the room.

Noooooo! One more minute, and I would have come my brains out! This couldn't be happening … not now! Not _again_! Stunned, I rose up on my elbows and glared down my body at Ranger, who looked back at me from between my thighs. Our eyes met. His held regret and resignation. I'm sure he could see bloody murder in mine.

Okay, so we both knew it had to be important for Tank to call, especially since he knew that this was our last night together. But that didn't help any. And we both knew that Ranger would take the call. "Go ahead," I snapped. "Answer it!"

I shoved away from him and sat with my back against the headboard, my knees hugged to my chest and my forehead resting on them. I wanted to laugh and cry and scream, all at the same time. The universe hated me! These were not the kind of memories I'd planned on making tonight.

Grabbing his phone off the night table, Ranger sat on the edge of the bed, his back to me. "This better be good, _Pierre_!" he practically snarled.

I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation. I didn't need to. Ranger's side said it all.

"Now?" Ranger ran a hand through his hair. "Son of a bitch! Load up the team. I'll call you back."

Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees, tossing the phone from hand to hand. "That was Tank."

I didn't say anything. I mean, what was there to _say_? I knew the call was from Tank, and I knew that Ranger would be leaving.

He looked down at the floor. "The FBI wants me to pick up two of the Abruzzi soldiers you identified. Looks like they came into some big money, and now they're blowing it in Atlantic City."

I didn't raise my head. "So? Why you? Why don't the Feebs just go arrest them?" I know I sounded snotty, but _come on_!

"The FBI doesn't want to give the Abruzzi Family a heads up that they've been connected to Little Paulie's murder _or_ your kidnapping." Ranger reached for my hand, but I pulled away from him. "These two guys hung out with Paulie, and Paulie kidnapped you. If _I_ pick them up, it'll look personal, not connected to the Family or the FBI."

As much as I didn't want to admit it, that made sense. "Is there big money involved?"

"The Feds want to make sure RangeMan plays ball."

So that was a yes. "Then you have to go." It was a statement, not a question.

"Do you think I'd choose money over you?" There was a definite edge to his voice.

"No." I shook my head. "But it'll help defray the cost of all this." I waved my hand around at the room.

Ranger grabbed my waving arm and hauled me halfway across the bed until we were eye to eye. "No price, Stephanie. Cost doesn't matter," he snapped, obviously pissed.

"It does to _me_!" I shot back, just as pissed. I yanked my arm away from him and got up off the bed, heading for the dressing room.

"Stephanie," he called after me, but I just kept going.

Ranger was bleeding money, _again_, because of me. There was no way I could let him miss the opportunity to collect a big fee from the Feds. It didn't make me feel any less guilty that Ranger said there was no price for what we gave each other. When it came to money, he was always the one paying.

Was I angry and disappointed that he was going to leave? Oh hell, yeah! Horny, too. But clearly, there was no good choice here. It was time for me to pull up my big girl panties and act like a grown up, a team player, a partner … not like a spoiled brat. I rummaged around the dressing room until I found everything I was looking for.

Ranger was pacing back and forth, on the phone with Tank again, when I came back into the bedroom. He stopped short when he saw me, or rather, what I had in my arms. His eyes widened microscopically. Woo-hoo! I had managed to surprise Ranger!

I carried his full uniform, boots and all, and his fully loaded utility belt. I dragged his hundred pounds of body armor behind me. I dumped it all on the bed. "Here ya go!" I said.

He studied my face for several long seconds. "Are you sure?"

I just tsk-ed and rolled my eyes.

"I'll be there ASAP!" he said and tossed the phone onto the night table.

He came around the bed and wrapped me in his arms. Okay, so it was hard to look indignant when I was stark naked and had Ranger's massive erection pressed into my belly, but I tried. I think my mood lasted about ten seconds before I wound my arms around his neck.

He kissed me softly, and I tasted myself on his lips and tongue. I think he whimpered. Well, no. Probably that was me.

He brushed his lips across my shoulder. "I can't leave here with your scent all over me." He kissed me hard and deep.

I could feel my brains scrambling. "Yeah, Dolce Vita doesn't exactly scream 'bad ass'!"

He laughed softly. "Not the scent I was talking about."

"Oh!" I pressed my bright red face into his neck.

He tipped my head back and licked across my lips. "And I'd drive myself crazy, tasting you all night."

"You can't afford that kind of distraction." I nuzzled the side of his face. "You need to take a shower." I kissed my way to his mouth.

"You mean, 'We'."

I dragged him into the bathroom and under the pounding water. One minute our soapy hands were moving over each others' bodies, the next, my legs were wrapped around his waist, my back pressed against the tiles, and he was pounding into me like a madman. Let me tell ya, we packed a hell of a lot of sexual gratification into that shower.

Thirty minutes later, we were both weak-kneed and boneless, sappy, happy, and sated.

We got dressed, and I took Ranger's personal arsenal, his two guns and a knife, out of the night table drawer. Before adding them to the gear on the bed, I dropped the ammo clip out of each gun, making sure it was fully loaded and that each gun had a round in the chamber.

Ranger watched as I slammed the clip back into his Sig. "You have never looked sexier than you do right now," Ranger said, his eyes hot and hooded. "And I have never wanted you more!"

I smiled at him. One more little piece of "information to enemy" to file away for future reference.

While Ranger inspected his body armor, I checked through his utility belt for extra ammo clips, cuffs, zip ties, Mace ... all his usual toys.

Ranger watched me for a minute, then smiled and shook his head.

"What? It's not like I can watch your back!" I said with a shrug. "I have to do something to make sure you're safe!"

"That's because you love me," he kissed me, and I gave him a "well, duh!" look.

"Any chance you'll be back before I have to leave for Miami?" I already knew the answer, but I still had to ask.

He was silent for a beat. "Probably not."

I nodded. "'K." I knew Ranger didn't make promises he couldn't keep.

He held his arms out to me and I went into them, burying my face in his neck and squeezing my eyes shut so I wouldn't cry. I just hung onto him for a long minute. Blowing out a shuddering breath, I stepped back. "Better get going." I forced a smile. "Everybody's waiting on you."

"Let them wait," he said and pulled me back into his arms.

Tipping my face up to his, he kissed me, long and hard … once, twice, three times. He seemed to have as hard a time letting go of me as I had letting go of him. He kissed my cheeks, my eyes, my forehead.

He pulled back and looked at me closely. "Are you okay? You feel a little warm."

"I'm probably still a little overheated from our shower," I said and kissed him for all I was worth.

"Love you," he said as he tucked my hair behind my ears.

"Love you back," I whispered, my voice cracking.

"Walk me out?"

"Sure," I said, looping my arm around his waist. He kissed me one last time, then slung his arm around my shoulders, and we went out of the bedroom and through the house to the door that led to the garage.

Sybo and Hector were in the kitchen, trying to be unobtrusive. Ranger stopped, "I'm trusting you to take care of her," he said to them.

"Mi vida para ella," Hector said. Sybo, his arms crossed over his chest, gave a single nod. "Ditto!"

"What'd he say?" I asked Ranger when we got to the garage.

"His life for yours," Ranger replied.

"Really?" I was stunned. "Wow!"

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "Why are you surprised?"

"I guess I'm not. Their loyalty to you says an awful lot about the kind of man you are." I gave him a squeeze.

Ranger snorted a laugh. "Not me, Babe. That's how loyal they are to _you_!"

"Me?" I squeaked. "Oh!" I was so overwhelmed. I mean, I knew they liked me. But being willing to give their lives for me? That was a whole different level of like.

Even though we were being watched on the monitors, Ranger broke his own rule about PDAs and moved close to me. "I'll call as soon as we have these guys secured."

I didn't trust myself to be able to speak without bursting into tears, so I just stared at his chest and nodded.

With his hands on either side of my neck, he used his thumbs to tip my face up to his. He kissed me gently, then wiped away the single tear that snuck down my cheek. I stood on my tip toes to hug him hard. "I miss you already," I whispered.

"Try not to get too crazy," he said into my hair, hugging me back.

"Yeah," I said, my voice cracking. "And you should try not to get shot."

It had been a disturbing good-bye when we'd originally said it to each other during the Slayer mess. Now it was an affectionate parting for us, although we both still meant what we said.

One final kiss and a glance back at me as he got into his car, and then he was gone.

I wiped off my tears with the sleeve of my shirt, sniffed hard, squared my shoulders, and went back into the house. Ranger's woman had to at least _look_ like she deserved the loyalty his men had to her.

Back in the bedroom I poured myself a full glass of wine and sucked down half of it, then refilled the glass. "Liquid Courage" my ass! All I wanted to do was cry. What the hell was going on with all the tears already? I hated crying, but I just couldn't seem to stop! I'd have to check my calendar … I was probably due for my period.

In an effort to keep myself busy, I loaded our dinner dishes into the dishwasher, moved the furniture back to where it belonged, and returned all the candles to where I'd found them. Even though Ella had done her usual perfect job, I unpacked and repacked my suitcases. Then with nothing to do but wait for the phone to ring, I polished off the rest of the bottle of wine and passed out on the couch.

I have no idea how long I slept, but it wasn't long enough. I squinched my eyes shut at the sun streaming in the windows when Tank woke me by rapping on the bedroom door and yelling cheerfully, "Rise and shine, Bombshell! Time to go to Miami!" I hated Tank.

I groaned and held my aching head as I stumbled to the door to let him in. "Peace offering!" he announced, holding up a MacDonald's bag in front of my face. "Ranger said you'd probably need this."

"Uggghhhhh!" I felt like death warmed over, and I clutched at the bag like it was a life preserver, which, pretty much, it was. Tank took me by the shoulders and steered me over to a chair where I proceeded to stuff my face with fries and Coke. Thirty minutes later I felt like I had rejoined the human race.

"Your bags are in the car, Bomber," Tank said. "You sure you got everything?"

"I guess," I said, checking my phone for missed messages. "You heard from Ranger?" I asked Tank. "He said he'd call … but he hasn't yet. Did the takedown go okay?" I scrolled through my calls again.

"Oh, yeah, like clockwork. They just had to make a quick stop at the Atlantic City General Hospital ER before they all headed to DC to drop those guys off."

My eyebrows flew up to my hairline! "Was Ranger hurt?"

"Nah! Apparently those two bozos were real … ah … clumsy, and kept running into … um … doors and walls and stuff."

Oh yeah, right! I'll just bet that the "stuff" they'd run into was Ranger's fists!

"Anyway, now Ranger's in DC, surrounded by the Feds, so obviously he can't call you." Tank chuckled. "You know how much he loves those Washington stuffed shirts. He's gonna be a bear when he gets back!"

"Good luck with that!" Probably a good thing I was getting out of Dodge. I wouldn't have to put up with snarky Ranger. "Guess I better get ready to go then."

Tank gestured toward the dress bag and tote that lay on the bed. "This is what you're supposed to wear."

"Oh, goodie! Another disguise." I looked at the bag like it was filled with snakes. "Please don't tell me Lester picked it out!" I whined.

The last time I'd worn a disguise Lester chose was in Baltimore. He dressed me up as a waitress, and that's how I managed to find myself in the middle of Eddie Abruzzi's suite, surrounded by his whole psycho Family. Eddie tried to behead me with a sword, but accidentally killed himself instead. Which is why his mother had me kidnapped and wanted me dead. Needless to say, I haven't exactly trusted Lester's choices since then.

"No, no!" Tank swallowed a laugh and held up his hands in a "stop" gesture. "It's all good! Ranger chose this one himself."

"Well, that's a relief!" I sighed. "I'd hate to have to beat Lester to a pulp."

Tank's face lit up. "Hey! We could sell tickets. I know a lot of people who'd pay big bucks to see that. We'd make a fortune!" Tank chuckled all the way to the door. "Call me if you need me!" He waved over his shoulder.

I made quick work of the cute highlighted blonde wig, brown contacts, and makeup to go along with my new hair and eye color. The dress bag held black tights, very pricey black, spike-heeled, knee high boots, and a short, deep burgundy sweater dress with a cowl neck, and a black wool swing coat. Something told me that Ranger hadn't actually picked this stuff out himself. He'd probably sent Ella for it all.

There was a black leather Coach purse which held a makeup bag, wallet with ID for Samantha Pardo, pictures, credit cards, cash, tissues, sunglasses … all the usual. A small velvet pouch held big, hammered gold, hoop earrings and a real Rolex wristwatch. Guess Mr. and Mrs. Marc Pardo had hit the big time.

At the bottom of the pouch was a ring box holding "Samantha's" wedding ring. It was a wide, chunky gold band with a humongous diamond perched on top. It just couldn't have been real. I mean, who in their right mind would let _me_ wear a rock the size of an old fashioned glass doorknob? Still, it was a knockout, even if it was only cubic zirconium.

Everything fit me except the dress which was awfully loose, and I dug around in the bottom of the dress bag, looking for a belt. I found something else instead and put it on.

Looking at myself in the mirror, it crossed my mind that Ranger could have arranged to be called away last night so that he wouldn't have to face me and my "disguise" this morning! But I'd never thought of him as a chicken-shit coward, so I dismissed the idea. However, when I got my hands on him, he was definitely gonna pay for this!

I threw open the bedroom door so hard that it slammed into the wall. "Tank!" I bellowed. My voice echoed through the house. "Ta-a-a-ank!" It came out more of a shriek this time.

I heard the thundering footsteps of Merry Men hauling ass down from their rooms upstairs, and up from the monitor room downstairs. Six of them, guns in hand, skidded to a halt in front of me, stunned expressions on every face.

Tank pushed his way through the group and looked me over, a big grin on his face. "Ranger warned me you wouldn't be happy. But I gotta tell you, Bomber, you look good pregnant!"

"Bite me, Tank!" I looked down at the baby belly the pregnancy suit gave me. "I can't even see my feet!" I whined.

"Holy Cow! Would ya look at the gozongas on her!" Junior, obviously channeling Lester, clutched his heart. "They stick out more than her belly does!" Tank reached out and smacked him upside the head. "Owwww!" Junior rubbed the back of his skull. "Just sayin'!" He glared at Tank before turning his attention back to my chest.

"Dismissed!" Tank barked at the Merry Men, who all had a tough time dragging their eyes away from my belly and boobs. Junior actually walked into a wall and almost knocked himself cold. He deserved the beaut of a shiner he was gonna have.

Tank ushered me back into the bedroom and closed the door. "Look, Steph, you may not like the getup, but think about it. If someone's out there hunting for Stephanie Plum, the last person they're going to look at is a pregnant woman."

"I guess," I said with a sigh. I knew he was right, but I still didn't have to like it one little bit.

Resigned, I picked up my coat and purse, hugged and kissed all the men good-bye, even Junior, and followed Tank outside. I slid on my big movie star sunglasses and got into a limo, where Sybo and Hector, both wearing suits, waited for me. Somebody must have warned them because neither one so much as batted an eye at the sight of pregnant me.

Once on the plane, I relaxed a little. I knew I wouldn't have any problem trading in my winter coat and boots, and pregnancy belly, for a bikini and flip flops, or strolling through sand and surf for slogging through slush and snow. Just thinking about baking on the beach, and not being cold anymore, made me downright giddy, and my thoughts turned to ocean waves and sun screen.

It had taken me … what? … a nano-second to agree to let Ranger send me to RangeMan Miami. Especially when I thought about what I'd have to deal with if I stayed in Trenton. I mean, really! I was killing three birds with one stone. I'd be escaping the Abruzzi Family, and the FBI, and my mother, all in one fell swoop. Brilliant!

Of course, when it came right down to it, I was going to Miami _without_ Ranger. I guess the brilliant plan really wasn't so brilliant after all, and by the time we landed, I was feeling pretty depressed about the whole thing.

And wouldn't you just know it? The weather reflected my crappy mood. Miami welcomed me with black storm clouds, thunder, lightning, wind and torrential rain. Just friggin' swell.

By the time I settled into the apartment at RangeMan Miami, I was exhausted, and all I wanted to do was sleep. But every time I closed my eyes, the whole scene with Morelli putting the gun to my head played on the inside of my eyelids. If I dozed off, Mama Abruzzi morphed into Cinderella's Wicked Stepmother and swung her dragon-headed walking stick at me. I'd wake up shaking. How bizarre was that?

And even though I knew I was safe, surrounded by Merry Men that I loved and trusted, I was jumpy and nervous. I couldn't seem to relax or calm down. I didn't even feel like me; I'm not the anxious or emotional type. But every noise startled me, and every time I looked at the burn mark on my forehead, I started to cry. I couldn't eat without getting nauseous, couldn't sleep without nightmares. I had a constant headache, and sometimes it actually hurt to take a deep breath.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I woke up two days later with body aches and a fever to go along with the massive headache. By noon, I was barking like a seal. Ranger's orders overrode my objections, and three o'clock found me in a private clinic with a thermometer stuck in my mouth.

Two shots, a bunch of chest ex-rays, and three prescriptions later, I was on my way back to RangeMan, too sick to even look at the beaches we were driving past. I guess this is what that doctor in the hospital tried to warn me about.

I know, I know. I've lost count of how many times I've been bruised, battered, bounced around, and concussed. I've rolled in garbage, had my cars blown out from under me, jumped out of windows, and fallen off fire escapes. I've been threatened, chased, kidnapped, shot, tortured … you name it, and I've always bounced right back.

But I couldn't even remember the last time I got sick. I'm talking chills and fever, aches and pains, coughing, barfing sick! I was a mess. At least it explained why I'd been feeling so weird and weepy. I mean, that was a relief, right? Sort of.

Let me tell ya, pneumonia isn't any fun, and being sick really pissed me off. If I ever got my mitts on Morelli, that was one more thing I owed him payback for. They say that payback's a bitch, and Morelli had no idea what _this_ bitch had in store for him!

Anyway, I spent the next two weeks sleeping and coughing my brains out. The only positive thing was that I lost six pounds. It wasn't a diet I'd recommend to anyone. Okay, maybe Morelli. And his mother. And his brother Anthony. And Rinaldi and Malfitano. And … well, you get my drift.

I'd been in Miami for four weeks when I finally broke down and talked Marco, Ranger's second-in-command, into letting me take over Silvio's position, doing background checks and research. Talk about desperation! I was bored out of my skull! Silvio needed to escape the Dummy Desk and spend some time in the field, and I needed something, _anything_, to do besides watch the clock, waiting for Ranger to let me come home.

I'd pinky sworn that I'd follow orders, which I had, and that I wouldn't bitch, which I hadn't. But let's face it, I've never been known for my patience, and what little I had was almost all used up. Sure I got to go to the beach and shopping and out to dinner, but that stuff's just not much fun when you're all by yourself, so I was lonely and bored.

Don't get me wrong, Hector and Sybo and all the Miami RangeMen were great, but bodyguards don't count as company. Not when they're on the job. They're so busy guarding your body, they can't even carry on a conversation. Plus, they tend to make people just a teensy bit nervous. In case you didn't catch it, that was sarcasm.

Six weeks into my exile, I went to get my hair trimmed and some gold highlights put in to go along with my new tan. Jimbo and Sanchez, Miami's version of Halosaurous and Steroidasuarus, Hal and Cal, went with me. The poor little guy who was supposed to do my hair took one look at them and passed out cold. After the ambulance carted him off, I was asked to leave and not come back.

The mani-pedi was another disaster. The nail techs freaked at the big, bad ass, heavily armed guys, who stood over them, watching every move they made. I mean, come on! What did they think the techs were going to do … drown me in the foot bath? Nail polish me to death? Big surprise, I'm not welcome at the nail salon anymore either.

I couldn't even imagine what would have happened if I'd gone for a bikini wax!

I was really starting to hate Miami. As big a pain in the butt as they were, I missed my dysfunctional family. Even my Mom. I missed my girlfriends. I needed somebody to giggle and gossip with. And most of all, I missed Ranger. I hated sleeping alone and eating alone and living alone. And I _really_ hated being celibate. The "alone" time I spent with my shower massager couldn't compare to a Ranger induced orgasm.

Yeah, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, and the pity party was in full swing.

"So, what's new?" Ranger asked during a lunchtime SKYPE session almost two months into my exile. He seemed distracted by the paperwork he was looking over.

"Nuthin'," I said with a shrug.

"What did you do today?" He didn't even look up at me.

"Same old, same old."

"Which is?"

"I run background checks, and I talk to you. Just like every other day."

"That's good." He said absent-mindedly, flipping through his papers.

"Oh, yeah. Peachy keen." He totally missed the eye roll but must have heard the sarcasm because he finally looked at me.

"Something's wrong," Mr. Observant said. "What?"

I sat slumped in my chair picking at my nail polish. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I've been here for_ever_! I'm bored and I'm lonely! I miss my life! I miss my friends. I miss _you_! And I'm missing that big charity thing we were supposed to go to tonight," I said with a wistful sigh. "I'm just bummed."

This was the big shindig that started the whole kidnapping mess. If I hadn't been out, scouring the stores for the perfect dress to make that witch, Jeanne Ellen Burrows, fall off her broom with envy, Little Paulie Giamatta would never have gotten his grubby paws on me.

So really, when you thought about it, my being kidnapped and almost killed was all Jeanne Ellen Burrows' fault! I just knew I could figure out a way to pin it on that bitch! Go me!

Ranger would be going to the social event of the year without me. And you could bet your sweet ass that Jeanne Ellen was just waiting for an opportunity to glom onto him! Just because she blew her first chance didn't mean that she wasn't gonna try again.

"Look," Ranger said, "I'm going to walk in, shake a few hands, then leave." He actually grimaced. "You know that if this wasn't the Governor's charity fund raiser, I wouldn't be going at all."

Ranger hated all these fancy-dress events. I'm pretty sure he only went because he knew how much I loved them. "You're just snarky because you have to go alone," I said.

He thought about that. "You're probably right. Maybe I should find myself a date." Was that a twinkle in his eye?

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Unless you plan on dating Tank, you better be joking."

"I never joke," he said seriously. Did the corner of his mouth twitch? "Actually, I was thinking more in terms of Jeanne Ellen," he said nonchalantly.

My jaw hit the floor.

"She already called to ask if I wanted to take her, just so I wouldn't have to go alone." He was looking at his paperwork again. "Nice of her, all things considered."

"NICE?" I screeched and launched myself at the computer screen. "You think she's being NICE? After everything she's pulled, everything she's said, trying to sabotage us and … and …"

"There's my girl!" Ranger gave me his full-on 200 watt smile. "I knew that'd snap you out of your funk." He looked rather proud of himself, the ass.

I growled at him. "Maybe you two deserve each other."

He just laughed. "I'll give you a full report on the party in the morning."

I perked right up! "I want to know everything … the food, the music, the decorations, who sat at your table, who you talked to, what celebrities were there … all the important stuff!"

"Steph! I'm not staying for …" I didn't even hear what he said.

"And the silent auction … that's always the best part!" I was really getting excited now. "I wanna know what they auctioned off and what you bid on and who won what and how much it was." Ranger was pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oh, and if Bruce Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi are there, you have to get me autographs, and take pictures! And … and …"

"Steph …" I was on a roll here.

"… what everybody was wearing, " I pointed my finger at him, "And you better steer clear of Jeanne Ellen Burrows! I don't trust that cow as far as I can spit! She's got a stalker mentality and she's never gotten over you. I guarantee that she's gonna make a play and ..."

"Stephanie!"

"Wha-a-at?"

"Gotta go." He tapped his watch. "Meeting in five minutes. I'll tell you all about it over breakfast." And he was gone.

The next morning, Ranger texted that something had come up, and we'd Skype at lunchtime. So, being the patient soul that I was, I pulled up the Trenton Times on my laptop to see if the gala had made the paper. It sure had! Right on the front page was a lovely picture of Ranger, drop-dead gorgeous in his tux, in front of the Convention Center … helping Jeanne Ellen out of his Mercedes.

Son of a bitch!

There were lots more pictures on the inside of the paper … a shot of the dinner table with the Governor and Joe Juniak, their wives, and Jeanne Ellen, leaning against Ranger. There was another of couples dancing, the Wicked Bitch plastered all over Ranger like Cling-Wrap, and the one that really chapped my butt, Ranger, with Jeanne Ellen's arm linked through his, chatting with Bruce Springsteen. That was supposed to be _me_, dammit! For the rest of the day, I did a slow burn.

I trusted Ranger. Really, I did. Jeanne Ellen, on the other hand, was a whole different story. I wanted to scratch her eyes out and snatch her baldheaded for putting the moves on my man. I mean, what the hell? I wasn't even dead two months and that crazy bitch wouldn't even let Ranger grieve in … Oh Jeez! Forget I said that. Being a held in captivity was starting to drive me nutty! Okay, nuttier!

Ranger postponed our lunchtime Skype session until that night. And no, I didn't think he was out whooping it up with Jeanne Ellen. I'd actually considered not letting on that I knew they'd gone to the event together, but I didn't want Ranger to think that I was setting him up, trying to catch him in a lie.

"You have a good time with Jeanne Ellen at the gala last night?" I asked him.

"No," he said.

"What made you decide to take her up on her offer to go with you?"

"I didn't."

"So the Trenton Times photoshopped those pictures of you two?"

He shot me his "badass" look. I just rolled my eyes. "I was flagged down by a driver with a flat tire. Turned out to be Jeanne Ellen's car. Much as I was tempted, I couldn't leave her standing on the side of the road."

I harrumphed. "She probably ice picked that tire herself! You shoulda let her hoof it to the Convention Center!"

"Sounds like something she'd do. I couldn't shake her for the rest of the night."

Well Du-uh! "You stay for the whole thing?"

"Yes."

"Oh, poor baby!" What? I was sympathizing. "At least you got to meet Bruce Springsteen!"

"I've known Bruce for years. Running into him again turned out to be good for business. I met with him over breakfast this morning. He's looking for a new company to provide personal security for himself and his family when they're here in New Jersey."

"Great! Did you get me his autograph?" Well, that was the important part.

"Steph, I couldn't very well ask the man for an autograph for my dead girlfriend, could I?" He actually cracked a smile.

I made a pissy face. "I'll bet Jeanne Ellen got one."

"Yes, but she asked for it herself. And, as she kept reminding me, she's very much alive."

"Excuse me?"

"She said that while she sympathized with my loss, even if it was only _you_, she doubted that memories of a dead woman would keep me warm at night. She offered, as a friend, of course, to step in to make sure my sexual needs were met."

Grrrrrrrr! Must. Kill. Jeanne. Ellen! Oh, wait! The louse was baiting me. Okay, Ranger. Two can play _that_ game.

"What a pal!" I smiled sweetly. "But she's wrong, you know." Payback time, Ranger!

"How so?" he asked.

"Even from a thousand miles a way, I'll bet _this_ dead woman," I put my hand on my chest, "can warm you up … with four little words," I said.

"You think so?" He leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and folded his arms over his chest. "Go for it!" he said with a smug smile. Oh, I _love_ a challenge!

"Ready?"

Ranger gave me a condescending nod.

I looked straight into the camera, my chin propped in my hand, and whispered, "I'm wearing crotchless panties!"

Ranger's reaction was immediate. His pupils dilated, his nostrils flared, his lips parted, his hands gripped the arms of his chair. Just the thought of my crotchless panties went straight to _his_ crotch!

"Well, looks like I win 'cause you sure look nice and warm to me!" I smiled in satisfaction. "Night, Ranger! Sweet dreams!" I gave him a little finger wave.

I heard him yell "No! Wait! Babe!" But I just blew him a kiss, exited out of the session and happy danced all the way to bed. Hmm, maybe I should give some thought to Skype Sex!

The very next day, Ranger grounded me from leaving the RangeMan building, and I had to wonder if it was payback for tugging the tiger's tail the night before. Turned out not. The FBI had informed Ranger of a possible threat to the Miami RangeMan. One of Mama Abruzzi's henchmen had been spotted at the airport in Miami.

Marco called me down to his office and asked me to view footage from the security cameras mounted on the roof to see if I recognized anyone. I watched a couple of hours of pedestrians walking by, vehicles driving by, and birds flying by before the sight of Joe Morelli strolling by made my heart lurch painfully in my chest.

He'd driven past a couple of times, parked across the street, walked around the block, then lounged against the side of his car as if he was waiting for someone to come out and confront him. No one did.

Ranger was convinced that Morelli was looking for me. Since my "body" had never been found, probably he was trying to make sure I hadn't miraculously survived to testify against him. I had no problem staying inside the building, away from the windows, just in case Joe was looking to finish me off.

Three very long, and even _more_ boring weeks later, I was trying to entertain myself by printing out the background checks on different colored paper, hot pink, violet, lime green, rainbow. I used silly fonts and different, neon colored highlighters, and peppered my findings with emoticons. I put smiley faces on the files that passed muster, and frowny faces on the rejects.

When I brought them to Marco, he took one look and sighed. Then he suggested that maybe we needed to find me a different job. Woo-hoo! Even if it was inventorying widgets and wing-nuts in the parts department, at least it'd be something different!

Anyway, Ranger had gone to Washington, D.C. again and I hadn't heard from him in days and days. I was beyond lonely and bored, not to mention horny as hell; I think I was officially depressed. I mean, I was actually considering hitting the gym! What does _that_ tell ya about my state of mind?

I was watching my printer spit out background checks when a jolt, so intense it almost knocked me out of my chair, hit me. I was still conscious, but my whole body tingled like I'd been zapped with a stun gun. I stepped out of my cubby and looked around to see if somebody could have snuck up and given me a little buzz, as a joke, but there was nobody close by.

Then the tingle localized to the back of my neck, and I knew _exactly_ what it was. Ranger was in the building, and I took off to find him.

I ran down the hall and dodged Marco coming out of his office. "Where is he?" I demanded on my way past him.

He looked surprised. "Garage," he answered. "But how did you know?" he called after me.

I gave him a palms up shoulder shrug thing as I turned a corner. "Bat signal?" I hollered back. Marco just looked confused.

I sprinted for the elevator and mashed the call buttons, but the car didn't move fast enough for me. If Ranger came all the way to Miami without calling me first, I was afraid that meant something bad had happened back home. Shoving open the door to the stairs, I hit them at a dead run. If I hadn't held onto the railing, I would have gone ass over teakettle down all four flights.

By the time I got to the bottom of the stairs, I'd worked up so much momentum that when I hit the door to the garage, it flew open and bounced off the wall with a bang that sounded like an explosion! I practically fell out the stairwell and stumbled across the garage floor. Nothing like making a grand entrance!

Ranger, dressed in full corporate mode, and the Rangemen he was talking with, dropped into defensive crouches and swung toward me, guns drawn.

I froze, my hands raised, eyes on Ranger. "What's wrong? What happened? Why are you here?" I gasped, breathless from the race down the stairs.

"Jesus, Stephanie," Ranger said, standing and sliding his gun back into his shoulder holster. He cross the floor to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

Oh God! "Who died? Grandma? My Dad? Rex?" I just knew something awful had happened.

"Nothing's wrong, Steph," he said gently. "It's all over! I came to bring you home!"

I looked at him dumbly. "Over?" I was having trouble processing that information.

Ranger smiled. "The entire Abruzzi Family is in Federal custody. You don't have to play dead anymore. You can come home now."

"Home?" I couldn't seem to get past the one word questions. "Now?"

"Well, we have to make a quick stop in Washington so you can give the FBI a sworn deposition, but after that, home."

"Oh!" I said on a sob. Too many emotions to name washed through me, and I had to turn away, my hand pressed over my mouth, trying to collect myself.

Oh my God! Finally! I was going home! I was going to get my life back! And suddenly, the sob became a giggle, and the giggle turned into a laugh. Before I knew it, I was doubled over, laughing so hard that tears streamed down my face.

"Stephanie, are you all right?" Ranger took my arm and turned me to face him.

I couldn't speak, only laugh, so I just nodded and flapped a hand to let him know I was okay. Hysteria wasn't a normal reaction to good news, but I just couldn't stop.

I'd start to calm down and catch my breath, and then I'd start laughing all over again. I laughed until my sides ached and I had to lean against one of the black SUVs for support. I hiccupped and wheezed and mopped the tears from my face with the handkerchief Ranger had handed me.

"Schedule that meeting for 8 am," Ranger said to Marco, who'd joined the group. "We'll be upstairs."

All the guys watched as Ranger escorted me over to the elevator with his hand at the small of my back. I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him stupid, but this was another official "No PDA Zone".

"You sure you're okay?" he asked again when the elevator doors closed on us.

"Yeah," I'd finally caught my breath. "I guess I've kept everything bottled up for so long, fear and loneliness and anger and frustration and resentment and sadness, I just had to let it all out. Now I feel like … I don't know … dancing in the streets, shouting from the rooftops," I threw my arms up in the air. "Celebrating!"

"Good idea," Ranger said as the elevator rose to the penthouse. "What would you like to do? Dinner? Dancing? Or do you want me to take you to the clubs in South Beach? Just name it!"

Mindful of the security cameras, I slid him a sideways glance and a sly smile. "Actually, I'd like you to take me to bed," I said under my breath.

Ranger kept his blank face firmly in place, but I caught the gleam in his eyes. "I think that could be arranged," he said in his most business-like, Corporate Ranger tone of voice. When the elevator doors pinged open, he ushered me into the apartment and shut the door behind us.

We stopped in the foyer, my back to the door. Ranger braced one arm on the wall, above my head and leaned in close. "Hi, Babe," he said affectionately, trailing his fingers down my cheek.

"Hi, Ranger." I tipped my face up to his, angled for the perfect fit, and he slowly, thoroughly, kissed me hello.

"Umm, you taste good," he said, licking his lips.

"You're tasting my very last Butterscotch Krimpet," I said mournfully.

"I'll buy you a whole truck load when we get home!" he laughed, pinning me against the wall with his body.

I curled my fingers into his butt cheeks and pulled him hard against me, kissing him for all I was worth. "You sure know the way to a girl's heart!"

"You've got a couple of other body parts I'd like to find my way to," he said against my mouth. His hands slid up my sides and cupped my breasts, his thumbs brushing over my nipples.

"You, too!" He groaned as I let my hand glide down the front of his pants.

Ten weeks was a long, long time for us to be celibate and, suddenly, we practically attacked each other in a desperate effort to get naked.

Pulling me away from the door, Ranger peeled my windbreaker off my shoulders and down my arms. He toed off his shoes and stripped his socks. I worked on his shirt buttons as we stumbled down the hall, headed for the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind us.

With one firm tug, he yanked my shirt out of my waistband and I pulled my arms out of the sleeves as we staggered through the living room, me hopping on one foot, trying to get rid of my other boot. I tore open his belt and unzipped his pants while he did the same to my cargoes.

Laughing, we ricocheted off a wall and backed into an end table, sent a lamp crashing to the floor, tripped over the ottoman and fell through the doorway into the bedroom.

Ranger's suit jacket hit the floor in a heap and his dress shirt lost some buttons in my frantic attempt to get to his bare skin. My t-shirt caught on my earring when Ranger tried to strip it over my head, so it wound up wrapped around my neck instead. I peeled his shirt off his shoulders, but one cuff wasn't open, so his shirt hung, inside out, from his arm, but neither of us cared.

Ranger tumbled me onto the bed and we rolled to the middle, tangled in our clothes. Ranger tried to strip off my cargoes and panties, but I still had one boot on, so the clothes got caught up on my foot. I shoved Ranger's pants down over his beautiful ass before I took him in my hands.

"Stop, Baby! I won't last," he groaned. "I want to be inside you."

"Oh, God! Hurry!"

He hooked his elbow under my knee, lifting my leg, and I cried out when he filled me with one hard thrust. My back arched off the bed and I saw stars on the inside of my eyelids … and I hadn't even had an orgasm yet!

"God Almighty! You feel so good," he murmured, his eyes closed, savoring the sensations. "Hot and wet and tight …"

I grabbed the silk tie that Ranger still had around his neck and pulled him down into my face. "Now! I need to come … _now_!" I panted.

He growled and tunneled his fingers into my hair, angling my head for the perfect fit with his mouth. He pressed his lips to mine, and ever so slowly, his tongue slipped into my mouth. His hips followed the same slow rhythm and he pulled out of me, trying to prolong the sweet agony.

But I didn't want sweet and slow. I wanted, needed, hard and fast. "Now!" I demanded, my fingernails biting into his back. I raised my head and sank my teeth into his shoulder. Ranger's breath hitched and his hands tightened in my hair. He drove back into me, matching my own hunger and need, each thrust harder and faster, pushing us both closer to the edge.

Neither of us lasted and a minute later we both came so hard, I swear the whole building shook. We collapsed in each others' arms, boneless, gasping for breath, our heart rates somewhere in the stratosphere.

Sometime later I whispered, "I missed you so much, Batman."

"I missed you, too, Babe," Ranger murmured.

"Yeah? What did you miss most? Other than the sex."

He rose up on his forearms and brushed my hair off my face, looking at the scar the muzzle burn had left on my temple. "I missed the way you hog the bed, and steal the covers, and the adorable way you snore at ni…"

"I do _not_ snore!" I said in mock outrage.

"… and that little line of drool …" he touched the corner of my mouth.

"Sto-o-p!" I whined.

He chuckled and pulled out of me, rolling off onto his side, turning me in his arms to face him. "I missed this. Just lying in bed with you."

"Me, too!" I said, surprised. My head was on his shoulder, my hand on his chest. His heartbeat telegraphed through my whole body and I felt safe, and warm, and loved. There wasn't any place else in the world I'd rather have been.

We finally untangled ourselves from our clothing and made love again, sweet and slow and tender. Later, there was a more enthusiastic round of play in the shower, and again later, in the middle of the night.

I woke to the sound of the shower running, and the smell of coffee, and feeling pleasantly sore in all the right places.

I stretched like a cat and rolled out of bed. Picking up Ranger's shirt off the floor, I held it to my face, breathing in his scent, contented and happy as I buttoned myself into it. It would do to wear for breakfast.

I picked up Ranger's suit pants and folded them over the back of a chair, then retrieved his jacket. As I shook it out, a folded newspaper fell on the floor. I carefully laid the suit jacket on the chair, picked up the paper and tossed it into the waste basket.

I'll never know what it was that made me stop and pick up that paper again … but something made me unfold it. It was yesterday's edition of the Trenton Times.

A single picture filled the whole front page. A smiling Mayor Joe Juniak, with his hands on the shoulders of two other smiling men. Men I knew all too well. Joe Morelli and Vincent Malfitano.

The headline read: "Hometown Heroes Bring Down Crime Family". The floor tipped under my feet.

"Stephanie …" Ranger stood in the bathroom doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist. "I didn't want you to find out like this."

I turned the paper so he could see it. "Did you know?" My voice sounded so small and childlike to me. "Did you know it was all a set up?"

"Steph …"

"Did. You. Know?" I shouted at him.

He didn't answer.

TBC …

A/N: Only one more chapter … swear to God! I've tried to answer all the questions you've asked. Every time I think I've included them all, another one crops up. If I've forgotten anything, please let me know quickly and I'll try to work it in. Cross my heart, I'm never writing another epic!

I know that every chapter has had "Love" in its title, but the only thing I can come up with for the final one is "Joe Vs. The Volcano!" 'cause that's what it's gonna be.

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed, I hope I haven't forgotten to thank everyone who sent a review. If I have, I apologize … Love wouldn't have 2000+ reviews without each and every one of you fabulous readers!

Stayce


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